TWELVE    YEARS 


OP   A 


SOLDIER'S    LIFE    IN    INDIA. 


If  a  soldier, 

Chase  brave  employments  with  a  naked  sword 
Throughout  the  world.     Fool  not;  for  all  may  have, 
If  they  dare  try,  a  glorious  life  or  gravj. 

GEORGE  HERBERT. 


TWELVE    YEARS 


OF   A 


SOLDIER'S    LIFE    IN    INDIA: 


BEING  EXTEACTS   FROM  THE   LETTERS 


OF   THE   LATE 


MAJOK  W.   S.   R  HODSON,  B.  A. 

TRINITY   COLLEGE,   CAMBRIDGE; 
FIRST  BENGAL  EUROPEAN   FUSILEERS,   COMMANDANT   OF  HODSON'S   HORSE. 


INCLUDING 


A  PEKSONAL  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  SIEGE  OF  DELHI 
AND   CAPTURE   OF  THE  KING  AND  PRINCES. 


EDITED  BY  HIS  BROTHER, 

THE    REV.   GEORGE  H.   HODSON,  M.  A. 

SENIOR  FELLOW   OF  TRINITY   COLLEGE,   CAMBRIDGE. 


FROM    THE   THIRD   AND    ENLARGED    ENGLISH   EDITION. 


BOSTON: 
T  T  C  Iv  N  O  R    A  N  D    F  I'E  L  D  S . 

M  DCCC  LX, 


RIVERSIDE,   CAMBRIDGE' 

STEREOTYPED      AND     PRINTED     II  Y 
H.   0.   HOUGUTON  AND   COMPANY. 


LOAN  STACK 
GIFT 


'£ 


- 


[TiiE  following  paper,  by  the  author  of  "  Tom  Brown's 
School  Days  at  Rugby,"  appeared  in  "  Fraser's  Maga 
zine  :" — J 

THE  heart  of  England  has  not,  within  the  memory  of  living 
men,  been  so  deeply  moved  as  by  the  Indian  rebellion  of  1857. 
It  was  a  time  of  real  agony,  —  the  waiting,  week  after  week, 
for  those  scanty  despatches,  which,  when  they  came,  and  lay 
before  us  in  the  morning  papers,  with  huge  capitals  at  the  top 
of  the  column,  we  scarcely  dared  take  up,  we  could  not  read 
without  a  strong  effort  of  the  will.  What  it  must  have  been 
to  those  of  us  whose  sisters,  brothers,  sons,  were  then  in  the 
Northwest  Provinces,  they  alone  can  tell ;  but  of  the  rest  we 
do  believe  there  was  scarce  a  man  who  did  not  every  now 
and  then  feel  a  cold  sinking  of  heart,  a  sense  of  shame  at  his 
inability  to  help,  a  longing  to  make  some  sacrifice  cf  money, 
ease,  or  what  not,  whereby  to  lift,  if  it  might  be,  a  portion  of 
the  dead  weight  from  off  his  own  soul.  By  degrees  came  the 
light.  As  the  trial  had  been,  so  had  been  the  strength.  The 
white  squall  was  past;  and  though  that  great  and  terrible 
deluge  still  heaved  and  tossed,  we  began  to  catch  sight  of 
one  and  another  brave  ship  riding  it  out.  Our  pulses  beat 
quick  and  our  eyes  dimmed  as  we  heard  and  read  how  the 
little  band  of  our  kindred  had  turned  to  bay,  in  tale  after  tale 
of  heroic  daring  and  self-sacrificing  and  saintly  endurance 
and  martyrdom.  The  traces  here  and  there  of  weakness  and 
indecision  only  brought  out  more  clearly  the  soundness  and 
strength  of  the  race  which  was  on  its  trial ;  and  from  amongst 
the  thousands  who  were  nobly  doing  their  duty,  one  man  after 
another  stood  out  and  drew  to  himself  the  praise,  the  grati- 

053 


6          HODSON  OF  HODSON'S  HORSE. 

tudc,  and  the  love  of  the  whole  nation.  In  all  her  long  and 
stern  history,  England  can  point  to  no  nobler  sons  than  these, 
the  heroes  of  India  in  1857.  Thank  God,  many  of  them  are  left 
to  us ;  but  the  contest  was  for  the  life  itself,  the  full  price  had 
to  be  paid,  and  one  after  another  the  heroes  paid  it.  Some 
fell,  full  of  years  and  honors,  whom  the  mutiny  found  with 
names  already  famous ;  others  in  their  glorious  mid-day 
strength  ;  others  fresh  from  England,  in  the  first  daring  years 
of  early  youth ;  of  all  ranks  and  professions,  —  generals,  gov 
ernors,  cadets,  missionaries,  civilians,  private  soldiers ;  but 
each  heard  the  call  and  obeyed  it  faithfully,  loving  not  his  own 
life  ;  and  we  believe  that  even  in  this  hurrying,  bewildering, 
forgetful  age,  England  and  Englishmen  will  not  let  the  name 
of  one  of  them  die. 

At  any  rate,  there  is  little  chance  that  the  subject  of  this 
paper  will  be  forgotten  by  his  countrymen,  for  not  only  has  he 
carved  out  with  his  sword  a  name  for  himself  which  knows 
few  equals  even  in  Indian  story,  but  he  has  left  materials  which 
have  enabled  his  brother  to  put  together  one  of  the  best  biog 
raphies  in  our  language. 

Twelve  Years  of  a  Soldier's  Life  in  India  is  the  history  of 
the  career  of  Hodson  of  Hodson's  Horse,  the  captor  of  the 
King  of  Delhi,  compiled  from  private  letters  written  to  differ 
ent  members  of  his  family. 

To  the  book  itself,  as  a  literary  work,  high  praise  may  be 
awarded.  There  are  four  pages  only  which  we  could  wish 
omitted;  we  mean  those  (from  p.  432  to  p.  436)  which  con 
tain  the  extracts  from  newspapers.  Able  leading  article 
writers  and  special  correspondents,  who  as  soon  as  the  firing 
is  over,  bustle  up  to  battle-fields  where  their  country's  noblest 
are  dying,  arid  sit  down  to  catch  the  tale  of  every  claqueur, 
and  spin  the  whole  into  thrilling  periods,  doubtless  have  their 
use,  and  their  productions  are  highly  valued,  —  or,  at  any  rate, 
are  highly  paid  for,  —  by  the  British  public.  The  extracts  in 
question  are  favorable  specimens,  on  the  whole,  of  such  com 
modities.  But  Hodson  has  no  need  of  them,  and  they  jar  on 
one's  soul  at  the  end  of  such  a  book.  With  this  exception, 


SCHOOL  DAYS   AT   RUGBY.  7 

the  book  is  a  model  of  its  kind.  There  is  not  a  word  too 
much  of  the  letters  ;  in  fact,  we  long  for  more  of  them,  while 
confessing  that  no  additional  number  could  bring  the  man  or 
his  career  more  livingly  before  us ;  and  the  editor  has,  with 
rare  tact,  given  us  just  what  was  needed  of  supplementary 
narrative,  and  no  more,  and  has  shown  himself  a  high-minded 
gentleman  and  Christian  by  his  forbearance  in  suppressing  the 
names  of  the  men  who  enviously  and  wickedly  persecuted  his 
brother.  In  a  charming  little  preface  he  compares  that  brother 
to  Fernando  Perez,  the  hero  of  the  later  Spanish  ballads,  and 
then  seems  to  doubt  whether  affection  may  not  have  biassed 
his  judgment.  We  think  we  may  reassure  him  on  this  point. 
The  career  of  the  Indian  Captain  of  Irregulars  may  fairly 
challenge  comparison  with  that  of  Fernando  Perez  or  any 
other  hero  of  romance,  and  we  may  well  apply  to  the  English 
man,  lying  in  the  death  chamber  at  Lucknow,  the  poet's  touch 
ing  farewell  to  the  peerless  knight  Durandarte,  stretched  on 
the  bloody  sward  at  Roncesvalles,  — 

'  Kind  in  manners,  fair  in  favor, 

Mild  in  temper,  fierce  in  fight; 
Warrior  nobler,  gentler,  braver, 
Never  shall  behold  the  light." 

But  it  is  time  for  us  to  turn  from  the  book  to  the'  man,  and 
we  think  our  readers  will  thank  us  for  giving  them  the  best 
picture  which  our  space  will  allow  of  him  and  his  work,  as 
nearly  as  may  be  in  his  own  words  ;  only  begging  them  to 
bear  in  mind  that  these  letters  were  written  in  the  strictest 
confidence  to  his  nearest  relations,  and  that  so  far  from  wish 
ing  to  make  his  own  deeds  known  during  his  life,  he  resolutely 
refused  to  allow  his  letters  to  be  made  public. 

William  Stephen  Raikes  Hodson,  third  son  of  the  Arch 
deacon  of  Stafford,  was  born  in  March,  1821,  and  went,  when 
fourteen  years  old,  to  Rugby,  where  he  stayed  for  more  than 
four  years,  two  of  which  were  spent  in  the  sixth  form  under 
Arnold.  At  school  he  was  a  bright,  pleasant  boy,  fond  of  fun, 
and  with  abilities  decidedly  above  the  average,  but  of  no  very 


8  CHOOSING  A  PROFESSION. 

marked  distinction,  except  as  a  runner ;  in  which  exercise, 
however,  he  was  almost  unequalled,  and  showed  great  powers 
of  endurance.  None  of  his  old  schoolfellows  have  been  sur 
prised  to  hear  of  his  success  as  the  head  of  the  Intelligence 
Department  of  an  army,  or  of  his  marvellous  marches  and 
appearances  in  impossible  places  as  Captain  of  Irregular 
Horse.  Such  performances  only  carry  us  back  to  first  calling 
over,  when  we  used  to  see  him  come  in  splashed  and  hot,  and 
to  hear  his  cheery  "  Old  fellow !  I've  been  to  Brinklow  since 
dinner."  But,  as  a  boy,  he  was  not  remarkable  for  physical 
strength  or  courage,  and  none  of  us  would  have  foretold  that 
he  would  become  one  of  the  most  daring  and  successful  swords 
men  in  the  Indian  army.  We  only  mention  the  fact,  because 
it  is  of  great  importance  that  the  truth  in  this  matter,  which 
the  lives  of  Hodson  and  others  have  established,  should  be  as 
widely  acknowledged  as  possible.  A  man  born  without  any 
natural  defect  can,  in  this  as  in  other  respects,  make  his  own 
character ;  no  man  need  be  a  coward  who  will  not  be  one ; 
and  a  high  purpose  steadfastly  kept  in  view  will,  in  the  end, 
help  a  man  to  the  doing  of  nobler  deeds  of  daring  than  any 
amount  of  natural  combativeness. 

From  Rugby  he  went  to  Trinity,  Cambridge,  where  he  took 
his  degree  in  1844  ;  but,  fortunately  for  his  country,  and  (let 
us  own  it,  "hard  as  it  is  as  yet  to  do  so)  for  himself  also,  a  con 
stitutional  tendency  to  headache  led  him  to  choose  the  army 
rather  than  a  learned  profession.  After  a  short  service  in  the 
Guernsey  militia,  which  he  entered  to  escape  superannuation, 
he  got  a  cadetship,  and  embarked  for  India.  Sir  William 
Napier,  then  Governor  of  Guernsey,  gave  him  a  letter  to  his 
brother,  Sir  Charles,  and  himself  wrote  of  him,  "  I  think  he 
will  be  an  acquisition  to  any  service.  His  education,  his  abil 
ity,  his  zeal  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  military  matters, 
gave  me  the  greatest  satisfaction  during  his  service  with  the 
militia."  His  brother's  letter  never  was  presented  to  Sir 
Charles  Napier,  as  we  infer  from  the  passage  at  p.  156,  where 
it  is  mentioned  again,  "  I  didn't  show  him  his  brother's  letter," 
writes  Hodson  in  1850,  "  that  he  might  judge  for  himself  first, 


FIRST   ENGAGEMENTS  IN  INDIA. 

and  know  me  '  per  se,'  or  rather  '  per  me.'  I  will,  however, 
if  ever  I  see  him  again."  He  never  saw  Sir  Charles  again  ; 
but  what  a  glimpse  of  the  man's  character  we  get  from  these 
few  lines. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  1845,  Hodson  landed  in  India, 
and  went  up  country  at  once  to  Agra.  Here  he  found  the 
Hon.  James  Thomason,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  North 
west  Provinces,  a  family  friend  and  connection,  with  whom  he 
stayed  till  November  2d,  when  he  was  appointed  to  do  duty 
with  the  2d  Grenadiers,  and  began  his  military  career  as 
part  of  the  escort  of  the  Governor-General,  who  was  on  his 
way  to  the  Punjab.  In  that  quarter  a  black  cloud  had  gath 
ered,  which  it  was  high  time  should  be  looked  after. 

Hodson,  however,  marches  on,  all  unconscious,  and  his  first 
letters  give  no  hint  of  coming  battle,  but  contain  a  charmingly 
graphic  description  of  the  life  of  an  Indian  army  on  march. 
Here,  too,  in  the  very  outset,  we  find  that  rare  virtue  of  mak 
ing  the  best  of  everything  peeping  out,  which  so  strongly 
characterized  him. 

"  It  is  a  sudden  change  of  temperature,  truly,  —  from  near  freezing 
at  starting,  to  90°  or  100°  at  arriving.  It  sounds  hot,  but  a  tent  at  84° 
is  tolerably  endurable,  especially  if  there  is  a  breeze." 

At  Umbala,  he  attends  a  grand  muster  of  troops,  and  sees 
the  Irregulars  for  the  first  time. 

"  The  quiet-looking  and  English-dressed  Hindoo  troopers  strangely 
contrasted  with  the  wild  Irregulars  in  all  the  fanciful  wzuniformity  of 
their  native  costume:  yet  these  last  are  the  men  /fancy  for  service." 

This  was  on  the  2d  of  December.  On  Christmas-day  he 
writes :  — 

"I  have  been  in  four  general  engagements  of  the  most  formidable 
kind  ever  known  in  India.  On  the  10th,  on  our  usual  quiet  march  we 
•were  surprised  by  being  joined  by  an  additional  regiment,  and  by  an 
order  for  all  non-soldiers  to  return  to  Umbala." 

Then  comes  the  description  of  forced  marches,  and  battles 
which  one  feels  were  won,  —  and  that  was  all.  The  same 
story  everywhere  as  to  the  Sepoys ;  at  Moodkee, 

1  * 


10  FIGHT   AT   MOODKEE   AND   SOBRAON. 

"  Our  Sepoys  could  not  be  got  to  face  the  tremendous  fire  of  the 
Sikh  artillery,  and  as  usual,  the  more  they  quailed  the  more  the  Eng 
lish  officers  exposed  themselves  in  vain  efforts  to  bring  them  on.  .  .  . 
At  Ferozeshah  on  the  evening  of  the  21st,  as  we  rushed  towards  the 
guns  in  the  most  dense  dust  and  smoke,  and  under  an  unprecedented 
fire  of  grape,  our  Sepoys  again  gave  way  and  broke.  It  was  a  fear 
ful  crisis,  but  the  bravery  of  the  English  regiments  saved  us.  A  ball 
struck  my  leg  below  the  knee,  but  happily  spared  the  bone.  I  was 
also  knocked  down  twice,  —  once  by  a  shell  bursting  so  close  to  me  as 
to  kill  the  men  behind  me,  and  once  by  the  explosion  of  a  magazine. 
The  wound  in  my  leg  is  nothing,  as  you  may  judge  when  I  tell  you 
that  I  was  on  foot  or  horseback  the  whole  of  the  two  following  days.  .  . 
No  efforts  could  bring  the  Sepoys  forward,  or  half  the  loss  might 
have  been  spared,  had  they  rushed  on  with  the  bayonet.  .  .  Just  as 
we  were  going  into  action,  I  stumbled  on  poor  Carey,  whom  you  may 
remember  to  have  heard  of  at  Price's  at  Rugby.  On  going  over  the 
field  on  the  30th,  I  found  the  body  actually  cut  to  pieces  by  the  keen 
swords  of  the  Sikhs,  and  but  for  his  clothes  could  not  have  recognized 
him.  I  had  him  carried  into  camp  for  burial,  poor  fellow,  extremely 
shocked  at  the  sudden  termination  of  our  renewed  acquaintance.  .  .  I 
enjoyed  all,  and  entered  into  it  with  great  zest,  till  we  came  to  actual 
blows,  or  rather,  I  am  (now)  half  ashamed  to  say,  till  the  blows  were 
over,  and  I  saw  the  horrible  scenes  which  ensue  on  war.  I  have  had 
quite  enough  of  such  sights  now,  and  hope  it  may  not  be  my  lot  to  be 
exposed  to  them  again,  .  .  We  are  resting  comfortably  in  our  tents, 
and  had  a  turkey  for  our  Christmas  dinner."  (pp.  66,  67,  68,  69.) 

In  the  next  letter  the  fight  at  Sobraon  is  described :  — 

"  On  we  went  as  usual  in  the  teeth  of  a  di'eadful  fire  of  guns  and 
musketry,  and  after  a  desperate  struggle  we  got  within  their  triple 
nnd  quadruple  intrenchments;  and  then  their  day  of  reckoning  came 
indeed.  Driven  from  trench  to  trench,  and  surrounded  on  all  sides, 
they  retired,  fighting  most  bravely,  to  the  river,  into  which  they  Avere 
driven  pellmell,  a  tremendous  fire  of  musketry  pouring  on  them  from 
our  bank,  and  the  Horse  Artillery  finishing  their  destruction  with 
grape.  I  had  the  pleasure  myself  of  spiking  two  guns  which  were 
turned  on  us." 

A  rough  baptism  of  war,  this,  for  a  young  soldier !  No 
wonder  that  when  the  excitement  is  over,  for  the  moment  he 
thinks  he  "  has  had  enough  of  such  sights."  But  the  poetry 
of  battle  has  entered  into  him,  witness  this  glorious  sketch  of 
a  deed  done  by  the  80th  Queen's  (Staffordshire). 


OPINION   OF   SEPOY  REGIMENTS.  11 

"I  lay  between  them  and  my  present  regiment  (1st  E.  B.  Fusiliers) 
on  the  night  of  the  21st  of  December,  at  Ferozeshah,  when  Lord 
Hardinge  called  out  '80th!  that  gun  must  be  silenced.'  They 
jumped  up,  formed  into  line,  and  advanced  through  the  black  dark 
ness  silently  and  firmly;  gradually  we  lost  the  sound  of  their  tread, 
and  anxiously  listened  for  the  slightest  intimation  of  their  progress  ; 
—  all  was  still  for  five  minutes,  while  they  gradually  gained  the  front 
of  the  battery  whose  fire  had  caused  us  so  much  loss.  Suddenly 
we  heard  a  dropping  fire,  —  a  blaze  of  the  Sikh  cannon  followed, 
then  a  thrilling  cheer  from  the  80th,  accompanied  by  a  rattling  and 
murderous  volley  as  they  sprang  upon  the  battery  and  spiked  the 
monster  gun.  In  a  few  more  minutes  they  moved  back  quietly,  and 
lay  down  as  before  on  the  cold  sand;  but  they  had  left  forty-five  of 
their  number  and  two  captains  to  mark  the  scene  of  their  exploit  by 
their  graves." 

And  so  in  another  month,  when  the  war  is  over  and  the 
army  on  its  return,  he  "  catches  himself  wishing  and  asking  for 
more." 

"Is  it  not  marvellous,  as  if  one  had  not  had  a  surfeit  of  killing? 
But  the  truth  is  that  is  not  the  motive,  but  a  sort  of  undefined  ambi 
tion.  .  .  I  remember  bursting  into  tears  in  sheer  rage  in  the  midst  of 
the  fight  at  Sobraon  at  seeing  our  soldiers  lying  killed  and  wounded." 

His  first  campaign  is  over,  and  he  goes  into  cantonments. 
The  chief  impression  left  on  his  mind  is  extreme  disappoint 
ment  with  the  state  of  the  Sepoy  regiments,  which  he  ex 
presses  to  Mr.  Thomason  :  — 

"  In  discipline  and  subordination  they  seem  to  be  lamentably  de 
ficient,  especially  towards  the  native  commissioned  and  non-commis 
sioned  officers.  On  the  march,  I  have  found  these  last  give  me  more 
trouble  than  the  men  even.  My  brother  officers  say  that  I  see  an 
unfavorable  specimen  in  the  2d,  as  regards  discipline,  owing  to  their 
frequent  service  of  late,  and  the  number  of  recruits ;  but  I  fear  the 
evil  is  very  wide-spread.  It  may  no  doubt  be  traced  mainly  to  the 
want  of  European  officers.  This,  however,  is  an  evil  not  likely  to  be 
removed  on  any  large  scale.  Meantime,  unless  some  vigorous  and 
radical  improvements  take  place,  I  think  our  position  will  be  very 
uncertain  and  even  alarming  in  the  event  of  extended  hostilities. 
You  must  really  forgive  my  speaking  so  plainly,  and  writing  my  own 
opinions  so  freely.  You  encouraged  me  to  do  so  when  I  was  at  Agra, 
if  you  remember,  and  I  value  the  privilege  too  highly  as  connected 


12  FRIENDSHIP    OF   SIR   HENRY  LAWRENCE. 

with  the  greater  one  of  receiving  advice  and  counsel  from  you,  not  to 
exercise  it,  even  at  the  risk  of  your  thinking  me  presumptuous  and 
hasty  in  my  opinions." 

Acting  upon  these  impressions,  he  applies  for  and  obtains 
an  exchange  into  the  1st  Bengal  Europeans,  in  which  he  is 
eighth  second-lieutenant  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  the  junior 
in  rank  of  boys  of  eighteen  and  nineteen.  He  feels  that  he 
has  difficult  cards  to  play,  but  resolves  to  make  the  best  of 
everything,  and  regrets  only  "  that  the  men  who  are  to  support 
the  name  and  power  of  England  in  Asia  are  sent  out  here  at 
an  age  when,  neither  by  education  nor  reflection  can  they 
have  learnt  all,  or  even  a  fraction  of  what  those  words  mean. 
It  would  be  a  happy  thing  for  India  and  for  themselves,  if  all 
came  out  here  at  a  more  advanced  age  than  now,  but  one 
alone  breaking  through  the  custom  in  that  respect  made  and 
provided,  must  not  expect  to  escape  the  usual  fate,  or  at  least 
the  usual  annoyances,  of  innovators." 

At  this  point  an  opening,  of  which  he  was  just  the  man  to 
make  the  most,  occurs.  Mr.  Thomason  writes  to  Colonel, 
afterwards  Sir  Henry,  Lawrence,  the  new  political  agent  at 
Lahore,  introducing  Hodson  ;  and  at  once  a  friendship, 
founded  on  mutual  appreciation,  springs  up  between  the  two, 
to  end  only  with  their  lives.  The  agent  manages  to  have  the 
young  soldier  constantly  in  his  office,  and  to  get  all  sorts  of 
work  out  of  him.  As  a  reward,  he  takes  him  on  an  expedi 
tion  into  Cashmere,  in  the  autumn  of  1846,  whither  they 
accompany  the  forces  of  Gholab  Singh,  to  whom  the  country 
had  been  ceded  by  treaty.  The  letters  from  Cashmere  on 
this  occasion,  and  again  in  1850,  when  he  accompanied  Sir 
Henry  on  a  second  trip  to  Cashmere  and  Thibet,  are  like 
nothing  in  the  world  but  an  Arabian  Night  which  we  feel  to 
be  true.  The  chiefs,  the  priests,  the  monasteries,  the  troops, 
the  glorious  country  so  misused  by  man,  the  wretched  people, 
an  English  lady,  young  and  pretty,  travelling  all  alone  in  the 
wildest  part  on  pony-back,  all  pass  before  us  in  a  series  of 
living  photographs.  We  have  room,  however,  forgone  quota 
tion  only :  — 


SUPERINTENDS   BUILDING   AN  ASYLUM.  13 

"  The  women  are  atrociously  ugly,  and  screech  like  the  witches  in 
Macbeth,  —  so  much  so,  that  when  the  agent  asked  me  to  give  them  a 
rupee  or  two,  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  refuse,  firmly  but  respectfully,  on 
the  ground  that  it  would  be  encouraging  ugliness. 

"  I  am  the  luckiest  dog  unhung  (he  concludes)  to  have  got  into  Cash 
mere.  I  fancy  I  am  the  first  officer  of  our  army  who  has  been  here 
save  the  few  who  have  come  officially." 

Colonel  Lawrence  was  not  the  man  to  let  his  young  friend's 
powers  of  work  rust,  so  on  their  return  we  find  Hodson  set  to 
build  the  famous  Hill  Asylum  for  white  children  at  Subathoo. 

We  may  as  well  notice  at  once,  in  this  early  stage  of  his 
career,  the  man's  honest  training  of  himself  in  all  ways,  great 
and  small,  to  take  his  place,  and  do  his  work  in  his  world-bat 
tle  ;  how  he  faces  all  tasks,  however  unwonted,  ill-paid,  or 
humble,  which  seem  to  be  helpful ;  how  he  casts  off  all  habits, 
however  pleasant  or  harmless,  which  may  prove  hindrances. 
And  this  he  does  with  no  parade  or  fine  sentiment,  but  simply, 
almost  unconsciously,  often  with  a  sort  of  apology  which  is 
humorously  pathetic.  For  example,  when  set  to  work  on  the 
Asylum,  he  writes  :  — 

"  Colonel  Lawrence  seems  determined  I  shall  have  nothing  to  stop 
me,  for  his  invariable  reply  to  every  question  is,  '  Act  on  your  own 
judgment,'  '  Do  what  you  think  right,'  '  I  give  you  carte  blanche  to 
act  in  my  name,  and  draw  on  my  funds,'  and  so  forth." 

Which  confidence  is  worthily  bestowed.  Hodson  sets  to 
work,  forgetting  all  professional  etiquette,  and  giving  up  soci 
ety  for  the  time. 

"  Cutting  trees  down,  getting  lime  burnt,  bricks  made,  planks  sawn 
up,  the  ground  got  ready,  and  then  watching  the  work  foot  by  foot; 
showing  this  "nigger"  how  to  lay  his  bricks,  another  the  proper  pro 
portions  of  a  beam,  another  the  construction  of  a  door,  and  to  the 
several  artisans  the  mysteries  of  a  screw,  a  nail,  a  hinge.  You  can 
not  say  to  a  man,  '  Make  me  a  wall  or  a  door,'  but  you  must,  with 
your  own  hands,  measure  out  his  work,  teach  him  to  saw  away  here, 
to  plane  there,  or  drive  such  a  nail,  or  insinuate  such  a  suspicion  of 
glue.  And  when  it  comes  to  be  considered  that  this  is  altogether  new 
work  to  me,  and  has  to  be  excuded  by  cogitation  on  the  spot,  so  as  to 
give  an  answer  to  every  inquirer,  you  may  understand  the  amount  of 
personal  exertion  and  attention  required  for  the  work." 


14  ABJURES  TOBACCO  AND  BEER. 

Again,  a  few  months  later,  November,  1847, — 

"I  :im  in  a  high  queer-looking  native  house  among  the  ruins  of  this 
old  stronghold  of  the  Pathans,  with  orders  '  to  make  a  good  road  from 
Lahore  to  the  Sutlej,  distance  forty  miles,'  in  as  brief  a  space  as  pos 
sible.  On  the  willing-to-be-generally-useful  principle,  this  is  all  very 
well,  and  one  gets  used  to  turning  one's  hand  to  everything,  but  cer 
tainly  (but  for  circumstances  over  which  I  had  no  control)  I  always 
labored  under  the  impression  that  I  knew  nothing  at  all  about  the 
matter.  However,  Colonel  Lawrence  walked  into  my  room  promis 
cuously  one  morning,  and  said,  '  Oh,  Hodson,  we  have  agreed  that 
you  must  take  in  hand  the  road  to  Ferozepore.  You  can  start  in  a 
day  or  two; '  and  here  1  am" 

Again,  in  January,  1848,  he  has  been  sent  out  surveying. 

"  My  present  role  is  to  survey  a  part  of  the  country  lying  along  the 
left  bank  of  the  Ravee  and  below  the  hills,  and  I  am  daily  and  all 
day  at  work  with  compasses  and  chain,  pen  and  pencil,  following 
streams,  diving  into  valleys,  burrowing  into  hills,  to  complete  my  work. 
I  need  hardly  remark,  that,  having  never  attempted  anything  of  the 
kind  hitherto,  it  is  bothering  at  first." 

Again,  in  April,  1848,  he  has  been  set  to  hear  all  manner 
of  cases,  civil,  criminal,  and  revenue,  in  the  Lahore  Court. 

"The  duty  is  of  vast  importance,  and  I  sometimes  feel  a  half  sensa 
tion  of  modesty  at  being  set  down  to  administer  justice  in  such  mat 
ters  so  early,  and  without  previous  training.  A  little  practice,  pa 
tience,  and  reflection,  settle  most  cases  to  one's  satisfaction  however; 
and  one  nrmst  be  content  with  substantial  justice  as  distinguished 
from  technical  law." 

Again,  in  a  letter  to  his  brother,  — 

"  Did  I  tell  you,  by-the-bye,  that  I  abjured  tobacco  when  I  left  Eng 
land,  and  that  1  have  never  been  tempted  by  even  a  night's  al  fresco 
to  resume  the  delusive  habit?  Nor  have  I  told  you  (because  I  de 
spaired  of  your  believing  it)  that  I  have  declined  from  the  paths  of 
virtue  in  respect  of  beer  also,  these  two  years  past,  seldom  or  never 
tasting  that  once  idolized  stimulant!  " 

We  have  no  space  to  comment ;  and  can  only  hope  that  any 
gallant  young  oarsman  or  cricketer  bound  for  India  who  may 
read  this,  will  have  the  courage  to  follow  Hodson's  example, 
if  he  finds  himself  the  better  for  abstinence,  notwithstanding 
the  fascination  of  the  drink  itself,  and  the  cherished  associa- 


"THE  GUIDES.'*  15 

tions  which  twine  round  the  pewter.  My  dear  boys,  remem 
ber,  as  Hodson  did,  that  if  you  are  to  get  on  well  in  India  it 
will  be  owing,  physically  speaking,  to  your  digestions. 

These  glimpses  will  enable  the  reader  to  picture  to  himself 
how  Hodson,  now  Assistant  to  the  Resident  at  Lahore,  as  well 
as  second  in  command  of  the  Guides,  was  spending  his  time 
between  the  first  and  the  final  Sikh  war.  Let  him  throw  in 
this  description  of  the  duties  of  "  The  Guides  "  :  — 

"  The  grand  object  of  the  corps  is  to  train  a  body  of  men  in  peace  to 
be  efficient  in  war;  to  be  not  only  acquainted  with  localities,  roads, 
rivers,  hills,  ferries,  and  passes,  but  have  a  good  idea  of  the  produce 
and  supplies  available  in  any  part  of  the  country;  to  give  accurate 
information,  not  running  open-mouthed  to  say  that  10,000  horsemen 
and  a  thousand  guns  are  coining,  (in  true  native  style,)  but  to  stop  to 
see  whether  it  may  not  really  be  only  a  common  cart  and  a  few  wild 
horsemen  who  are  kicking  up  all  the  dust;  to  call  twenty-five  by  its 
right  name,  and  not  say  Jffty  for  short,  as  most  natives  do.  This  of 
course  wants  a  great  deal  of  careful  instruction  and  attention.  Be 
yond  this,  the  officers  should  give  a  tolerably  correct  sketch  and  re 
port  of  any  country  through  which  they  may  pass,  be  au  fait  at 
routes  and  means  of  feeding  troops,  and  above  all  (and  here  you  come 
close  upon  political  duties)  keep  an  eye  on  the  doings  of  the  neigh 
bors,  and  the  state  of  the  country,  so  as  to  be  able  to  give  such  infor 
mation  as  may  lead  to  any  outbreak  being  nipped  in  the  bud." 

The  reader  will  probably  now  be  of  opinion  that  the  young 
lieutenant,  willing  to  make  himself  generally  useful,  and  given 
to  locomotion,  will  be  not  unlikely  to  turn  out  a  very  tough 
nut  for  the  Sikhs  to  crack  when  they  have  quite  made  up  their 
minds  to  risk  another  fight ;  and  that  time  is  rapidly  drawing 
near.  All  through  the  spring  and  early  summer  months  there 
are  tumults  and  risings,  which  tell  of  a  wide  conspiracy. 
Hodson,  after  a  narrow  escape  of  accompanying  Agnew  to 
Mooltan,  is  scouring  the  country  backwards  and  forwards, 
catching  rebels  and  picking  up  news.  In  September,  the 
Sikhs  openly  join  the  rebel  Moolraj.  General  Whish  is 
obliged  to  raise  the  siege  of  Mooltan ;  the  grand  struggle  be 
tween  the  cow-killers  and  cow-worshippers  on  the  banks  of 
the  Chenab  has  begun. 


10  DARING  EXPLOITS. 

We  wish  we  had  space  to  follow  Hodson  and  his  Guides 
through  the  series  of  daring  exploits  by  which  the  Doab  was 
cleared,  and  which  so  enraged  the  Sikhs  that  "  party  after 
party  were  sent  to  polish  me  off,  and  at  one  time  I  couldn't 
stir  about  the  country  without  having  bullets  sent  at  my  head 
from  every  bush  and  wall."  He  was  attached  to  Wheeler's 
brigade  during  the  greater  part  of  the  struggle,  but  joined  the 
army  of  the  Punjaub  in  time  for  the  battle  of  Gujcrat,  which 
finished  the  war,  and  at  which  he  and  Lumsden  his  com 
mander,  and  Lake  of  the  Engineers,  are  mentioned  in  Lord 
Gough's  despatch  as  most  active  in  conveying  orders  through 
out  the  action.  We  cannot  however  resist  one  story.  The 
old  Brigadier,  making  all  haste  to  join  the  grand  army,  where 
he  expects  to  get  a  division,  leaves  two  forts  at  Kulallwala  and 
4000  unbeaten  rebels  in  his  rear.  He  is  ordered  back  to  ac 
count  for  them,  whereupon  Brigadier  turns  sulky.  Hodson 
urges  him  to  move  on  like  lightning  and  crush  them,  but  "  he 
would  not,  and  began  to  make  short  marches,  so  I  was  com 
pelled  to  outmanoeuvre  him  by  a  bold  stroke."  Accordingly 
he  starts  with  100  of  his  Guides,  when  twenty-five  miles  from 
Kulallwala,  and  fairly  frightens  a  doubtful  sirdar,  "  preparing 
munitions  of  war,  mounting  guns,  and  looking  saucy,"  out  of 
his  fort.  Whereupon  the  Sikhs  abandon  a  neighboring  fort, 
and  the  road  to  Kulallwala  is  open  without  a  shot  fired. 

"  In  the  morning  I  marched  with  my  little  party  towards  the  enemy, 
sending  back  a  messenger  to  the  Brigadier  to  say  that  I  Avas  close  to 
the  place,  and  that  if  he  did  not  come  on  sharp  they  would  run  away 
or  overwhelm  me.  He  was  dreadfully  angry,  but  came  on  like  a  good 
boy!  When  within  a  mile  or  so  of  the  fort,  I  halted  my  party  to 
allow  his  column  to  get  up  nearer,  and  as  soon  as  I  could  see  it,  moved 
on  quietly.  The  ruse  told  to  perfection :  thinking  they  had  only  100 
men  and  myself  to  deal  with,  the  Sikhs  advanced  in  strength,  thirty 
to  one,  to  meet  me,  with  colors  flying  and  drums  beating.  Just  then 
a  breeze  sprung  up,  the  dust  blew  aside,  and  the  long  line  of  horsemen 
coming  on  rapidly  behind  my  party  burst  upon  their  senses.  They 
turned  instantly,  and  made  for  the  fort ;  so,  leaving  my  men  to  advance 
quietly  after  them,  I  galloped  up  to  the  Brigadier,  pointed  out  the 
flying  Sikhs,  explained  their  position,  and  begged  him  to  charge 
them.  He  melted  from  his  wrath,  and  told  two  regiments  of  Irreg- 


SECOND   SIKH   WAR,  1849.  17 

ulars  to  follow  my  guidance.       On  we  went  at  the  gallop,  cut  in 
amongst  the  fugitives,  and  punished  them  fearfully." 

"  The  Brigadier  has  grown  quite  active,  and  very  fond  of 
me  since  that  day  at  Kulallwala,  though  he  had  the  wit  to 
see  how  brown  I  had  done  him  by  making  him  march  two 
marches  in  one."  It  is  certainly  to  the  Brigadier's  credit  that 
he  does  seem  to  have  appreciated  his  provoking  "  Guide,"  for 
he  mentions  him  in  the  highest  terms  in  despatch  after  de 
spatch,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  comforts  him  thus :  "  Had 
your  name  been  Hay  or  Ramsay,  no  honors,  no  appointments, 
no  distinctions  would  have  been  considered  too  great  to  mark 
the  services  you  have  rendered  to  Government." 

The  war  ended,  the  Punjaub  is  annexed,  and  Hodson  with 
it,  who  loses  all  his  appointments  and  returns  to  "  the  Guides." 

He  feels  sore  of  course  at  the  loss  of  his  occupation  and 
position,  but  sticks  to  his  drill-sergeant's  work  now  that  there 
is  nothing  higher  to  do,  and  pities  from  his  heart  the  dozens 
of  regimental  officers  at  Peshawur  who  have  not  an  hour's 
work  in  two  days.  It  is  a  recently  formed  station,  with  a  fly 
ing  column  of  10,000  men  there  for  the  hot  months,  and  no 
books  or  society ;  "  people  are  pitched  headlong  on  to  their 
own  resources,  and  find  them  very  hard  falling  indeed." 

The  first  Sikh  war  had  opened  Hodson's  eyes  as  to  the 
merits  of  the  Sepoys ;  the  second  makes  him  moralize  much 
about  the  system  of  promotion. 

He  concludes  that  for  war,  especially  in  India,  "  your  leaders 
must  be  young  to  be  effective,"  in  which  sentiment  we  heartily 
agree;  —  but  how  to  get  them?  "  There  are  men  of  iron,  like 
Napier  and  lladetzky,  aged  men  whom  nothing  affects ;  but 
they  are  just  in  sufficient  numbers  to  prove  the  rule  by  estab 
lishing  exceptions."  And  would  not  the  following  be  ludi 
crous,  but  that  men's  lives  are  in  the  balance  ? 

"  A  brigadier  of  infantry,  under  whom  I  served  during  the  three 
most  critical  days  of  the  late  war,  could  not  see  his  regiment  when  I 
led  his  horse  by  the  bridle  until  its  nose  touched  the  bayonets ;  and 
even  then  he  said  faintly,  '  Pray  which  way  are  the  men  facing,  Mr. 
Hodson?'  This  is  no  exaggeration,  I  assure  you.  Can  you  wonder 


18  APPOINTED   ASSISTANT   COMMISSIONER. 

that  our  troops  have  to  recover  by  despej-ate  fighting,  and  with  heavy 
loss,  the  advantages  thrown  away  by  the  want  of  heads  and  eyes  to 
lead  them  ? 

"  A  seniority  service,  like  that  of  the  Company,  is  all  very  well  for 
poor  men;  better  still  for  fools,  for  they  must  rise  equally  with  wise 
men;  but  for  maintaining  the  discipline  and  efficiency  of  the  army  in 
time  of  peace,  and  hurling  it  on  the  enemy  in  war,  there  never  was  a 
system  which  carried  so  many  evils  on  its  front  and  face." 

His  fast  friend,  Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  again  intervenes,  and 
he  is  appointed  an  Assistant  Commissioner,  leaving  the  Guides 
for  a  time.  In  this  capacity,  in  April,  1850,  he  comes  across 
the  new  Commander-in-Chief :  — 

"I  have  just  spent  three  days  in  Sir  Charles  Napier's  camp,  it  being 
my  duty  to  accompany  him  through  such  parts  of  the  civil  district  as 
he  may  have  occasion  to  visit.  He  was  most  kind  and  cordial; 
vastly  amusing  and  interesting,  and  gave  me  even  a  higher  opinion  of 
him  than  before.  To  be  sure,  his  language  and  mode  of  expressing 
himself  savor  more  of  the  last  than  of  this  century  —  of  the  camp 
than  of  the  court;  but  barring  these  eccentricities,  he  is  a  wonderful 
man;  his  heart  is  as  thoroughly  in  his  work,  and  he  takes  as  high  a 
tone  in  all  that  concerns  it,  as  Arnold  did  in  his ;  that  is  to  say,  the 
nighest  the  subject  is  capable  of.  I  only  trust  he  will  remain  with  us 
as  long  as  his  health  lasts,  and  endeavor  to  rouse  the  army  from  the 
state  of  slack  discipline  into  which  it  has  fallen.  On  my  parting  with 
him  he  said,  '  Now,  remembei*,  Hodson,  if  there  is  any  way  in  which 
I  can  be  of  use  to  you,  pray  don't  scruple  to  write  to  me. '  " 

After  working  in  the  Civil  Service,  chiefly  in  the  Cis-Sutlej 
Provinces,  for  nearly  two  years,  under  Mr.  Edmonstone,  he  is 
promoted  to  the  command  of  the  Guides  on  Lumsden's  return 
to  England.  The  wild  frontier  district  of  Euzofzai  is  handed 
over  to  him,  where 

"  I  am  military  as  well  as  civil  chief;  and  the  natural  taste  of  the 
Euzofzai  Pathans  for  broken  heads,  murder,  and  violence,  as  well  as 
their  litigiousness  about  their  lands,  keeps  me  very  hard  at  work  from 
day  to  day." 

Here  he  settles  with  his  newly  married  wife,  "  the  most  for 
tunate  man  in  the  service  ;  and  have  I  not  a  right  to  call 
myself  the  happiest  also,  with  such  a  wife  and  such  a  home  ?  " 


EPISODE   OF  HOME.  19 

For  nearly  three  years  he  rules  this  province,  building  a  large 
fort  for  his  regiment,  fighting  all  marauders  from  the  hills, 
training  his  men  in  all  ways,  even  to  practising  their  own 
sports  with  them. 

"  William  is  very  clever  "  his  wife  writes  "  at  this,"  cutting  an  orange, 
placed  on  a  bamboo,  in  two,  at  full  speed,  "  rarely  failing.  He  is 
grievously  overworked ;  still  his  health  is  wonderfully  good,  and  his 
spirits  as  wild  as  if  he  were  a  boy  again.  He  is  never  so  well  pleased 
as  when  he  has  the  baby  in  his  arms." 

Yes,  the  baby,  —  for  now  comes  in  a  little  episode  of  home 
and  family,  a  gentle  and  bright  gem  in  the  rough  setting  of 
the  soldier's  life  ;  and  the  tender  and  loving  father  and  hus 
band  stands  before  us  as  vividly  as  the  daring  border-leader. 

"  You  would  so  delight  in  her  baby  tricks,"  he  writes  to  his  father. 
"  The  young  lady  already  begins  to  show  a  singularity  of  taste  —  refus 
ing  to  go  to  the  arms  of  any  native  women,  and  decidedly  preferring 
the  male  population,  some  of  whom  are  distinguished  by  her  special 
favor.  Her  own  orderly,  save  the  mark,  never  tires  of  looking  at  her 
'  beautiful  white  fingers,'  nor  she  of  twisting  them  into  his  black 
beard,  —  an  insult  to  an  Oriental,  which  he  bears  with  an  equanimity 
equal  to  his  fondness  for  her.  The  cunning  fellows  have  begun  to 
make  use  of  her  too,  and  when  they  want  anything,  ask  the  favor  in 
the  name  of  Lilli  Baba  (they  cannot  manage  '  Olivia'  at  all).  They 
know  the  spell  is  potent." 

But  for  the  particulars  of  life  in  the  wilderness,  we  must 
refer  our  readers  to  Mrs.  Hodson's  letters  (pp.  197-200). 
This  happiness  was  not  destined  to  last.  In  July,  1854,  the 
child  dies. 

"  The  deep  agony  of  this  bereavement  I  have  no  words  to  describe," 
the  father  writes.  "  She  had  wound  her  little  being  round  our  hearts 
to  an  extent  which  we  neither  of  us  knew  until  we  awoke  from  the 
brief  dream  of  beauty,  and  found  ourselves  childless." 

Another  trial  too  is  at  hand.  In  the  autumn  of  1854,  Sir 
H.  Lawrence  is  removed  from  the  Punjaub,  and  in  October, 
charges  are  trumped  up  (there  is  no  other  word  for  it,  looking 
to  the  result)  against  Hodson,  in  both  his  civil  and  military 
capacity.  A  court  of  inquiry  is  appointed ;  and  before  that 


20  TRUMPED-UP   CHARGES. 

court  has  reported,  he  is  suspended  from  all  civil  and  military 
duty. 

Into  the  details  of  the  charges  against  him  we  will  not 
enter,  lest  we  should  be  tempted  into  the  use  of  hard  words, 
which  his  brother  has  nobly  refrained  from.  All  that  need  be 
stated  is,  that  the  sting  lay  in  the  alleged  confusion  of  his  regi 
mental  accounts.  The  Court  of  Inquiry  appointed  Major 
Taylor  to  examine  these,  and  report  on  them.  This  was  in 
January,  1855;  in  February,  1856,  Taylor  presented  an  elab 
orate  report,  wholly  exculpating  Hodson.  Mr.  Montgomery, 
(then  Commissioner  for  the  Punjaub,  now  Chief  Commissioner 
in  Oude,)  to  whom  it  was  submitted,  calls  it  the  most  satisfac 
tory  report  he  ever  read,  and  most  triumphant.  This  report, 
however,  though  made  public  on  the  spot,  had  not,  even  in 
May,  1857,  been  communicated  to  the  Government  of  India  ; 
whether  suppressed  on  purpose,  or  not,  there  is  no  evidence. 
But  when  at  last  fairly  brought  to  their  notice  by  a  remon 
strance  from  the  accused,  the  satisfactory  nature  of  the  docu 
ment  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  the  answer  is,  "  his 
remonstrance  will  be  placed  on  record  for  preservation,  not 
for  justification,  which  it  is  fully  admitted  was  not  required,  — 
no  higher  testimonials  were  ever  produced." 

It  is  with  the  man  himself  that  we  are  concerned.  We 
have  seen  him  in  action,  and  in  prosperity ;  how  will  he  face 
disgrace  and  disaster  ?  — 

"  I  must  endeavor  to  face  the  wrong,  the  grievous,  foul  wrong,  with 
a  constant  and  unshaken  heart,  and  to  endure  humiliation  and  disgrace 
with  as  much  equanimity  as  I  may;  and  with  the  same  soldierlike 
fortitude  with  which  I  ought  to  face  danger,  suffering,  and  death  in 
the  path  of  duty.  .  .  .  Our  darling  babe  was  taken  from  us  on  the 
day  my  public  misfortunes  began,  and  death  has  robbed  us  of  our 
father  before  their  end.  The  brain-pressure  was  almost  too  much  for 
me.  ...  I  strive  to  look  the  worst  boldly  in  the  face  as  I  would  an 
enemy  in  the  field,  and  to  do  my  appointed  work  resolutely  and  to  the 
best  of  my  ability,  satisfied  that  there  is  a  reason  for  all;  and  that 
even  irksome  duties  well  done  bring  their  own  reward,  and  that  if  not, 
still  they  are  duties.  .  .  . 

"  It  is  pleasant  to  find  that  not  a  man  who  knows  me  has  any  belief 
that  there  has  been  anything  wrong.  .  .  .  Not  one  of  them  all  (and, 


FACING   MISFORTUNE.  21 

indeed,  I  believe  I  might  include  my  worst  foes  and  accusers  in  the 
category)  believes  that  I  have  committed  any  more  than  errors  of 

judgment." 

Thus  he  writes  to  brother  and  sister ;  and,  for  the  rest,  goes 
back  resolutely  to  his  old  regiment,  and  begins  again  the  com 
mon  routine  of  a  subaltern's  duties,  congratulating  himself 
that  the  colonel  wishes  to  give  him  the  adjutancy,  in  which 
post 

"  I  shall  have  the  opportunity  of  learning  a  good  deal  of  work  which 
will  be  useful  to  me,  and  of  doing,  I  hope,  a  good  deal  of  good  amongst 
the  men.  It  will  be  the  first  step  up  the  ladder  again,  after  tumbling 
to  the  bottom." 

The  colonel  gets  him  to  take  the  office  of  quartermaster, 
however,  not  the  adjutancy,  the  former  office  "  having  fallen 
into  great  disorder;"  and  in  January,  1857,  the  honest  old 
officer,  of  his  own  accord,  writes  a  letter  to  the  Adjutant- 
General,  requesting  him  to  submit  to  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  "  that,  his  public  record  and  acknowledgment  of  the 
essential  service  Lieutenant  Hodson  has  done  the  regiment 
at  his  special  request ; "  and  urging  on  his  Excellency  to 
find  some  worthier  employment  for  the  said  lieutenant.  In 
the  same  tone  writes  Brigadier  Johnstone,  commanding  at 
Umbala,  through  whom  the  colonel's  letter  had  to  be  for 
warded  ;  and  who  "  trusts  his  Excellency  will  allow  of  his 
submitting  it  in  a  more  special  and  marked  manner  than  by 
merely  countersigning ;  for,"  goes  on  the  General,  "  Lieutenant 
Hodson  has,  with  patience,  perseverance,  and  zeal,  undertaken 
and  carried  out  the  laborious  minor  duties  of  the  regimental 
staff,  as  well  as  those  of  a  company;  and  with  a  diligence, 
method,  and  accuracy,  such  as  the  best  trained  regimental 
officers  have  never  surpassed." 

We  sympathize  entirely  with  the  editor,  when  he  bursts  out, 
"  I  know  nothing  in  my  brother's  whole  career  more  truly 
admirable,  or  showing  more  real  heroism,  than  his  conduct  at 
this  period,  while  battling  with  adverse  fates." 

But   there  was  now  no  need  of  letters  from  generals  or 


22  INTERVIEW   WITH  GEN.   ANSON. 

colonels  (however  acceptable  such  testimonies  might  be  in 
themselves)  to  restore  Hoilson  to  his  proper  position,  for  the 
mutterings  of  the  great  eruption  are  already  beginning  to  be 
heard,  and  the  ground  is  heaving  under  the  feet  of  the 
English  in  India. 

"  We  are  in  a  state  of  some  anxiety,  owing  to  the  spread  of  a  very 
serious  spirit  of  disaffection  among  the  Sepoy  arrny.  It  is  our  great 
danger  in  India,  and  Lord  Hardinge's  prophecy,  that  our  biggest  fight 
in  India  would  be  with  our  own  army,  seems  not  unlikely  to  be  real 
ized,  and  that  before  long.  Native  papers,  education,  and  progress, 
are  against  keeping  200,000  native  mercenaries  in  hand." 

This  is  not  the  exact  time  a  sane  Commander-in-Chief, 
looking  about  for  helpful  persons,  should  choose  for  letting  a 
certain  Lieutenant  Hbdson,  lately  under  a  cloud,  but,  we  hear, 
a  smart  officer,  and  of  great  knowledge  concerning,  and 
influence  with  natives,  out  of  our  reach.  So  thinks  General 
Anson  about  the  5th  of  May,  1857,  when  Hodson,  out  of  all 
patience  at  finding  that  Taylor's  report  has  never  reached  the 
authorities  at  Calcutta,  applies  to  him  for  leave  to  go  to  Cal 
cutta  to  clear  himself.  However,  by  this  time  the  ill-used 
lieutenant  can  afford  to  joke  about  his  own  misfortunes,  and 
writes,  — 

"  There  were  clearly  three  courses  open  to  me,  '  a  la  Sir  Robert 
Peel.' 

"  1st.  Suicide. 

"2d.  To  resign  the  service  in  disgust,  and  join  the  enemy. 

"  3d.  To  make  the  Governor-General  eat  his  words,  and  apologize. 

"  I  chose  the  last. 

"The  first  was  too  melodramatic  and  foreign;  the  second  would 
have  been  a  triumph  to  my  foes  in  the  Punjaub ;  besides,  the  enemy 
might  have  been  beaten ! 

"  I  have  determined,  therefore,  on  a  trip  to  Calcutta." 

Wherefore  General  Anson  has  interviews  with  this  out 
rageous  lieutenant;  is  "most  polite,  even  cordial,"  and  "while 
approving  of  my  idea  of  going  down  to  Calcutta,  and  thinking 
it  plucky  to  undertake  a  journey  of  two  thousand  five  hundred 
miles  in  such  weather,"  thinks  "  I  had  better  wait  till  I  hear 


ASSISTANT   QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL.  23 

again  from  him,  for  he  will  himself  write  to  Lord  Canning, 
and  try  to  get  justice  done  me." 

in  six  days  from  this  time  India  is  in  a  blaze. 

With  the  news  of  the  outbreak  come  orders  to  the  1st 
European  Fusileers  to  move  down  to  Umbala,  on  the  route  to 
Delhi.  They  march  the  sixty  miles  in  less  than  two  days,  but, 
on  their  arrival,  find  an  unsatisfactory  state  of  things : 

"  Here,"  writes  Hodson,  "  alarm  is  the  prevalent  feeling,  and  con 
ciliation,  of  men  with  arms  in  their  hands  and  in  a  state  of  absolute 
rebellion,  the  order  of  the  day.  This  system,  if  pursued,  is  far  more 
dangerous  than  anything  the  Sepoys  can  do  to  us.  I  do  trust  the 
authorities  will  act  with  vigor,  else  there  is  no  knowing  where  the 
affair  will  end.  Oh,  for  Sir  Charles  now !  The  times  are  critical,  but 
I  have  no  fear  of  aught  save  the  alarm  and  indecision  of  our  rulers." 

The  Commander-in-Chief  arrives,  and  now,  to  Hodson's 
most  naive  astonishment,  which  breaks  out  in  the  comicalest 
way  in  his  letters,  he  regains  all  he  has  ever  lost  by  one  leap. 

"  May  nth.  — Yesterday,  I  was  sent  for  by  the  Commander-in-Chief, 
and  appointed  Assistant  Quartermaster-General  on  his  personal  staff, 
to  be  under  the  immediate  orders  of  his  Excellency,  and  with  com 
mand  to  raise  one  hundred  horse  and  fifty  foot,  for  service  in  the  Intel 
ligence  Department,  and  as  personal  escort.  All  this  was  done,  more 
over,  in  a  most  complimentary  way,  and  it  is  quite  in  my  line." 

We  can  see  clearly  enough,  from  our  own  point  of  view, 
what  has  been  at  work  for  a  lieutenant  lately  under  a  cloud. 
The  plot  thickens  apace. 

But  who,  at  this  juncture,  will  open  the  road  to  Meerut, 
from  the  general  in  command  of  which  place  we  want  papers 
and  intelligence  ?  The  folloAving  extract  from  the  letter  of 
an  officer  stationed  at  that  place  will,  perhaps,  explain  :  — 

"  When  the  mutiny  broke  out,  our  communications  were  completely 
cut  off.  One  night,  on  outlying  picket  at  Meerut,  this  subject  being 
discussed,  I  said,  '  Hodson  is  at  Umbala,  I  know;  and  I'll  bet  he  will 
force  his  way  through,  and  open  communications  with  the  Com 
mander-in-Chief  and  ourselves.'  At  about  three  that  night  I  heard 
my  advanced  sentries  firing.  I  rode  off  to  see  what  was  the  matter, 
and  they  told  me  that  a  party  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  had  approached 
their  post.  When  day  broke,  in  galloped  Hodson.  He  had  left 


24  MARCH   ON   DELHI,   1857. 

Kurnal  (seventy-six  miles  off)  at  nine  the  night  before,  with  one  led 
horse  and  an  escort  of  Sikh  cavalry,  and,  as  I  had  anticipated,  here  he 
was  with  despatches  for  Wilson.  How  I  quizzed  him  for  approaching 
an  armed  post  at  night  without  knowing  the  parole.  Hodson  rode 
straight  to  Wilson,  had  his  interview,  a  bath,  breakfast,  and  two 
hours'  sleep,  and  then  rode  back  the  seventy-six  miles,  and  had  to 
fight  his  way  for  about  thirty  miles  of  the  distance." 

The  pace  pleased  the  general,  Hodsori  supposes,  for  "  he 
ordered  me  to  raise  a  corps  of  Irregular  Horse,  and  appointed 
me  Commandant,"  but  "  still  no  tidings  from  the  hills,"  (where 
his  wife  is ; )  "  this  is  a  terrible  additional  pull  upon  one's 
nerves  at  a  time  like  this,  and  is  a  phase  of  war  I  never 
calculated  on." 

On  the  27th  of  May  the  march  towards  Delhi  begins,  and 
Hodson  accompanies,  acting  as  Assistant  Quartermaster-Gen 
eral  attached  to  the  Commandcr-in-Chief,  "  with  free  access  to 
him  at  any  time,  and  to  other  people  in  authority,  which  gives 
me  power  for  good.  The  Intelligence  Department  is  mine  ex 
clusively,  and  I  have  for  this  line  Sir  Henry's  old  friend,  the 
one-eyed  Moulvie,  Rujub  Alee,  so  I  shall  get  the  best  news  in 
the  country."  He  starts,  too,  happy  about  his  wife  from  whom 
he  has  heard ;  the  hill  stations  all  safe,  and  likely  to  remain  so. 

General  Anson  dies  of  cholera,  and  General  Barnard  suc 
ceeds  ;  still,  oddly  enough,  no  change  takes  place  in  our  lieu 
tenant's  appointments.  And  so  the  little  army  marches,  all  too 
slowly,  as  the  lieutenant  thinks  and  remonstrates,  upon  Delhi. 
Other  men  are  answering  to  the  pressure  of  the  times :  — 

"  Colonel  T.  Seaton  and  the  other  officers  have  gone  to  Rohtuck  with 
the  60th  Native  Infantry,  who,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  desert  to  a  man  as 
soon  as  thev  get  there.  It  is  very  plucky  of  him  and  the  other  officers 
to  go;  and  very  hard  of  the  authorities  to  send  them;  a  half-hearted 
measure,  and  very  discreditable,  in  my  opinion,  to  all  concerned; 
affording  a  painful  contrast  to  Sir  John  Lawrence's  bold  and  decided 
conduct  in  this  crisis.  This  regiment  (1st  Fusileers)  is  a  credit  to  any 
army,  and  the  fellows  are  in  as  high  spirits  and  heart,  and  as  plucky 
and  free  from  croaking  as  possible,  and  really  do  good  to  the  whole 
force. 

"  Alfred  Light  doing  his  work  manfully  and  well.  .  .  .  Montgomery 
has  come  out  very,  very  strong  indeed;  but  many  are  beginning  to 


SIEGE   OF   DELHI.  25 

knock  up  already,  and  this  is  but  the  beginning  of  this  work,  I  fear; 
and  before  this  business  ends,  we  who  are,  thank  God,  still  young  and 
strong,  shall  alone  be  left  in  camp ;  all  the  elderly  gentlemen  will 
sink  under  the  fatigue  and  exposure." 

June  5tk.  —  Head-quarters  arrive  at  Aleepore,  nearly  at  the 
end  of  our  march,  in  fact  one  may  say  at  the  end,  for  on  that  day 
I  rode  right  up  to  the  Delhi  parade-ground  to  reconnoitre,  and 
the  few  sowars  whom  I  met  galloped  away  like  mad  at  the  sight 
of  one  white  face.  "  Had  I  had  a  hundred  Guides  with  me  1 
would  have  gone  up  to  the  very  walls  ; "  and  on  June  the  8th 
we  occupy  our  position  before  Delhi,  having  driven  the  enemy 
out  of  their  position  ;  not  without  loss,  for  Colonel  Chester  is 
killed,  Alfred  Light  (who  won  the  admiration  of  all)  wounded. 
.  .  .  No  one  else  of  the  staff  party  killed  or  wounded ;  but 
our  general  returns  will,  I  fear,  tell  a  sad  tale.  I  am  merci 
fully  unhurt,  and  write  this  line  in  pencil  on  the  top  of  a  drum 
to  assure  you  thereof. 

We  must  break  the  narrative  here  for  a  moment,  now  that 
we  have  got  the  combatants  face  to  face,  in  the  place  of  decis 
ion,  to  submit  to  our  readers  our  own  conviction  that  this  same 
siege  of  Delhi,  beginning  on  June  9th  and  ending  trium 
phantly  on  September  22d,  1857,  is  the  feat  of  arms  of 
which  England  has  most  cause  to  be  proud.  From  Cressy  to 
Sebastopol  it  has  never  been  equalled.  A  mere  handful  of 
Englishmen,  for  half  the  time  numbering  less  than  three  thou 
sand,  sat  down  in  the  open  field,  in  the  worst  days  of  an  Indian 
summer,  without  regular  communications,  (for  the  daks  were 
only  got  carried  by  bribery,  stage  by  stage,)  without  proper 
artillery,  and  last  and  worst  of  all,  without  able  leading,  before 
and  took  a  city  larger  than  Glasgow,  garrisoned  by  an  army 
trained  by  Englishmen,  and  numbering  at  first  20,000,  in 
another  ten  days  37,000,  and  at  last  75,000  men,  supplied  with 
all  but  exhaustless  munitions  of  war,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  na 
tion  in  arms.  "  I  venture  to  aver,"  writes  Hodson,  "  that  no 
other  nation  in  the  world  would  have  remained  here,  or  have 
avoided  defeat,  had  they  attempted  to  do  so."  We  agree  with 


26  SIEGE    OF  DELHI. 

him ;  and  we  do  trust  that  the  nation  will  come  to  look  at  the 
siege  of  Delhi  in  the  right  light,  and  properly  to  acknowledge 
and  reward  the  few  who  remain  of  that  band  of  heroes  who 
saved  British  India. 

Our  readers  must  also  remember  that  we  are  not  giving  the 
story  of  the  siege,  but  the  story  of  Hodson's  part  therein,  and 
must  therefore  not  think  we  are  unduly  putting  him  forward  to 
the  depreciation  of  other  as  glorious  names.  We  would  that 
we  had  the  same  means  of  following  the  life  day  by  day  of 
Nicholson  and  Chamberlain,  Tombs  and  Light,  Welchrnan, 
Showers,  Home,  Salkeld,  or  a  hundred  others  equally  gallant. 
But  what  we  have  is  Hodson's  life  compiled  from  his  daily  let 
ters  to  his  wife.  No  doubt  the  work  of  the  regulars  was  as 
important,  perhaps  even  more  trying,  than  that  of  the  Captain 
of  Irregular  Cavalry,  Assistant  Quartermaster- General,  and 
head  of  the  Intelligence  Department ;  but  these  were  his  duties, 
and  not  the  others',  and  we  shall  now  see  how  he  fulfilled 
them. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  siege  "  the  Guides "  march  into 
camp : 

"  It  would  have  done  your  heart  good  to  see  the  welcome  they  gave 
me  —  cheering  and  shouting  and  crowding  round  me  like  frantic  crea 
tures.  They  seized  my  bridle,  dress,  hands,  and  feet,  and  literally 
threw  themselves  down  before  the  horse  with  the  tears  streaming 
down  their  faces.  Many  officers  who  were  present  hardly  knew  what 
to  make  of  it,  and  thought  the  creatures  were  mobbing  me;  and  so 
they  were  —  but  for  joy,  not  for  mischief." 

" Burrah  Serai-wallah,"  they  shouted,  ("great  in  battle"  in 
the'vulgar  tongue,)  making  the  staff  and  others  open  their  eyes, 
who  do  not  much  believe,  for  their  part,  in  the  power  of  any 
Englishman  really  to  attach  to  himself  any  native  rascals. 

Next  day,  June  10th,  the  ball  opens.  The  mutineers  march 
out  in  force  and  attack  our  position  : 

"  I  had  command  of  all  the  troops  on  our  right,  the  gallant  Guides 
among  the  rest.  They  followed  me,  with  a  cheer  for  their  old  com 
mander,  and  behaved  with  their  usual  pluck,  and  iina-lly  we  drove 
the  enemy  in  with  loss.  .  .  .  Indeed,  I  did  not  expose  myself  unneces- 

\ 


PLAN  FOR  TAKING  DELHI.  27 

sarily;  for  having  to  direct  the  movements  of  three  or  four  regiments, 
I  could  not  be  in  the  front  as  much  as  I  wished." 

But  wives  will  be  anxious,  my  lieutenant,  and  making  all 
just  allowances,  it  must  be  confessed  that  you  give  her  fair 
cause  : 

"  The  warmth  of  the  reception  again  given  me  by  the  Guides  was 
quite  affecting,  and  has  produced  a  great  sensation  in  camp,  and  had 
a  good  effect  on  our  native  troops,  insomuch  that  they  are  more  will 
ing  to  obey  their  European  officers  when  they  see  their  own  country 
men's  enthusiasm. 

"  My  position  is  Assistant  Quartermaster-General  on  the  Command- 
er-in-Chief  's  personal  staff.  I  am  responsible  for  the  Intelligence  De 
partment,  and  in  the  field,  or  when  anything  is  going  on  for  directing 
the  movements  of  the  troops  in  action,  under  the  immediate  orders  of 
the  general." 

Again,  on  June  12th,  we  are  at  it :  — 

"  A  sharp  fight  for  four  hours,  ending  as  usual.  They  have  never 
yet  been  so  punished  as  to-day.  The  Guides  behaved  admirably,  so 
did  the  Fusileers  as  usual.  I  am  vexed  much  at  the  Lahore  Chronicle 
butter,  and  wish  people  would  leave  me  alone  in  the  newspapers.  The 
best  butter  I  get  is  the  deference  and  respect  I  meet  with  from  all 
whose  respect  I  care  for,  and  the  affectionate  enthusiasm  of  the 
Guides,  which  increases  instead  of  lessening." 

But  this  daily  repulsing  attacks  cannot  be  allowed  to  go  on  : 
cannot  we  have  something  to  say  to  attacking  them  ?  So  the 
general  thinks,  and  sets  Greathed,  assisted  by  me  and  two 
more  engineers,  to  submit  a  plan  for  taking  Delhi. 

"  We  drew  up  our  scheme  and  gave  it  to  the  general,  who  highly 
approved,  and  will,  I  trust,  carry  it  out;  but  how  times  must  be 
changed,  when  four  subalterns  are  called  upon  to  suggest  a  means  of 
carrying  out  so  vitally  important  an  enterprise  as  this,  one  on  which 
the  safety  of  the  empire  depends !  " 

Simple  but  "  perfectly  feasible "  plan  of  four  subalterns : 
blow  open  gates  with  powder,  and  go  in  with  bayonet,  and  that 
there  may  be  no  mistake  about  it,  I  volunteer  to  lead  the  assault 
(wholly  unmindful  of  that  assurance  given  to  a  loving  heart  in 
UIQ  hills  that  I  am  not  exposing  myself)  and  fix  on  a  small 


28  EARLY  TROUBLES. 

building  in  front  of  the  gate  as  the  rendezvous,  which  is  now 
called  "  Hodson's  Mosque." 

General  approves,  and  orders  assault  for  the  morning  of 
June  13th.  Alas  for  our  "  perfectly  feasible  "  plan  ! 

"  We  were  to  have  taken  Delhi  by  assault  last  night,  but  a  '  mis 
take  of  orders  '  (  ?)  as  to  the  right  time  of  bringing  the  troops  to  the 
rendezvous  prevented  its  execution.  I  am  much  annoyed  and  disap 
pointed  at  our  plan  not  having  been  carried  out,  because  I  am  confi 
dent  it  would  have  been  successful.  The  rebels  were  cowed,  and 
perfectly  ignorant  of  any  intention  of  so  bold  a  stroke  on  our  part  as 
an  assault;  the  surprise  would  have  done  everything." 

Next  day  there  is  another  fight.  A  council  of  war.  Our 
plan  is  still  approved,  but  put  off  from  day  to  day.  Aban 
doned  at  last,  we  are  to  wait  for  reinforcements.  Poor  "  feasible 
plan!" 

"  It  was  frustrated  the  first  night  by  the  fears  and  absolute  disobe 
dience  of  orders  of ,  the  man  who  first  lost  Delhi,  and  has  now 

by  folly  prevented  its  being  recaptured.  The  general  has  twice  since 
wished  and  even  ordered  it,  but  has  always  been  thwarted  by  some 

one  or  other;  latterly  by  that  old  woman ,who  has  come  here  for 

nothing  apparently  but  as  an  obstacle;  is  also  a  crying  evil  to 

us.  The  general  knows  this  and  wants  to  get  rid  of  him,  but  has  not 
the  nerve  to  supersede  him.  The  whole  state  of  affairs  here  is  bad  to 
a  degree." 

And  here  I  am  (June  19th),  with  fights  going  on  every  day, 
knocked  down  with  bronchitis  and  inflammation  of  the  chest, 
"  really  very  ill  for  some  hours."  "  The  general  nurses  me  as 
if  I  were  his  son.  I  woke  in  the  night  and  found  the  kind 
old  man  by  my  bedside  covering  me  carefully  up  from  the 
draught."  But  on  June  20th  (bronchitis  notwithstanding)  I 
am  up  and  at  work  again,  for  the  Sepoys  have  attacked  our 
rear  to-day,  and  though  beaten  as  usual,  Colonel  Becher 
(Quartermaster-General)  is  shot  through  right  arm,  and  Daly 
(commanding  Guides)  hit  through  the  shoulder.  So  the  whole 
work  of  the  Quartermaster-General's  office  is  on  me,  and  the 
general  begs  me  as  a  personal  favor  to  take  command  of 
Guides  in  addition."  I  at  first  refused,  but  the  general  was 
most  urgent,  putting  it  on  the  ground  that  the  service  was  at 


ACCEPTS   COMMAND    OF  "THE   GUIDES."  29 

stake,  and  none  was  so  fit,  &c.  &c.  I  do  feel  that  we  are 
bound  to  do  our  best  just  now  to  put  things  on  a  proper  foot 
ing  ;  and  after  consulting  Seaton  and  Norman,  I  accepted  the 

command.     How will  gnash  his  teeth  to  see  me  leading 

my  dear  old  Guides  again  in  the  field. 

And  so  we  fight  on,  literally  day  by  day,  for  now  "  our  artil 
lery  officers  themselves  say  they  are  outmatched  by  these 
rascals  in  accuracy  and  rapidity  of  fire  ;  and  as  they  have 
unlimited  supplies  of  guns,  &c.,  they  are  quite  beyond  us  in 
many  respects.  We  are,  in  point  of  fact,  reduced  to  merely 
holding  our  own  ground  till  we  get  more  men."  Still  we  don't 
feel  at  all  like  giving  in. 

"  The  wounded  generally  are  doing  well,  poor  fellows,  considering 
the  heat,  dirt,  and  want  of  any  bed  but  the  dry  ground.  Their  pluck 
is  wonderful,  and  it  is  not  in  the  field  alone  that  you  see  what  an 
English  soldier  is  made  of.  One  poor  fellow  who  was  smoking  his 
pipe  and  laughing  with  the  comrade  by  his  side,  was  asked,  what  was 
the  matter  with  him,  and  he  answered  in  a  lively  voice,  '  Oh,  not 
much,  Sir,  only  a  little  knock  on  the  back;  I  shall  be  up  and  at  the 
rascals  again  in  a  day  or  two.'  He  had  been  shot  in  the  spine,  and 
all  his  lower  limbs  were  paralyzed.  He  died  next  day.  Colonel 
Welchman  is  about  again;  too  soon,  I  fear,  but  there  is  no  keeping 
the  brave  old  man  quiet.  Po,or  Peter  Brown  is  very  badly  wounded, 
but  he  is  cheerful,  and  bears  up  bravely.  Jacob  has  '  come  out ' 
wonderfully.  He  is  cool,  active,  and  bold,  keeps  his  wits  about  him 
under  fire,  and  does  altogether  well.  We  are  fortunate  in  having  him 
with  the  force.  Good  field-officers  are  very  scarce  indeed ;  I  do  not 
wonder  at  people  ?t  a  distance  bewailing  the  delay  in  the  taking  of 
Delhi.  No  one  not  on  the  spot  can  appreciate  the  difficulties  in  the 
way,  or  the  painful  truth,  that  those  difficulties  increase  upon  us." 

I  am  rather  out  of  sorts  still  myself,  also.  It  is  a  burden  to 
me  to  stand  or  walk,  and  the  excessive  heat  makes  it  difficult 
for  me  to  recover  from  that  sharp  attack  of  illness.  "  The 
doctors  urge  me  to  go  away  for  a  little,  to  get  strength  —  as  if 
I  could  leave  just  now,  or  as  if  I  would  if  I  could."  ...  So  I 
am  in  the  saddle  all  day,  (June  24th,)  though  obliged  occasion 
ally  to  rest  a  bit  where  I  can  find  shelter,  and  one  halt  is 
by  Alfred  Light. 

"It  does  me  good  to  see  the  '  Light  of  the  ball-room'  working  away 


30  EXPENDITURE   OF  LIFE. 

at  his  guns,  begrimed  with  dust  and  heat,  ever  cheery  and  cool, 
though  dead  beat  from  fatigue  and  exposure.  How  our  men  fought 
to-day;  liquid  fire  was  no  name  for  the  fervent  heat;  but  nothing  less 
than  a  knock-down  blow  from  sun,  sword,  or  bullet,  stops  a  British 
soldier." 

My  glorious  old  regiment !  how  they  have  suffered  in  this 
short  three  weeks ;  Colonel  Welchman  badly  hit  in  the  arm, 
Greville  down  with  fever,  Wriford  with  dysentery,  Dennis 
with  sunstroke,  Brown  with  wounds. 

"Jacob  and  the  'boys'  have  all  the  work  to  themselves,  and  well 
indeed  do  the  boys  behave  —  with  a  courage  and  coolness  which 
would  not  disgrace  veterans.  Little  Tommy  Butler,  Owen,  Warner, 
all  behave  like  heroes,  albeit  with  sadly  diminishing  numbers  to  lead. 
Neville  Chamberlain  is  come  in,  who  ought  to  be  worth  a  thousand 
men  to  us." 

Those  rascals  actually  came  out  to-day  (June  25th),  in  their 
red  coats  and  medals  ! 

"  We  are  not  very  well  off,  quant  a  la  cuisine.  I  never  had  so  much 
trouble  in  getting  anything  fit  to  eat,  except  when  I  dine  with  the 
general.  Colonel  Seaton  lives  in  my  tent,  and  is  a  great  companion; 
his  joyous  disposition  is  a  perpetual  rebuke  to  the  croakers." 

And  so  too  was  your  own,  my  Lieutenant,  for  we  have  for 
tunately  a  letter  from  a  distinguished  officer,  in  which  he 
says,  — 

"  Affairs  at  times  looked  very  queer,  from  the  frightful  expenditure 
of  life.  Hodson's  face  was  then  like  sunshine  breaking  through  the 
dark  clouds  of  despondency  and  gloom  that  would  settle  down  occa 
sionally  on  all  but  a  few  brave  hearts,  England's  worthiest  sons,  who 
were  determined  to  conquer." 

But  this  siege  does  set  one  really  thinking  in  earnest  about 
several  things,  and  this  is  the  conclusion  at  which  our  Lieu 
tenant  arrives :  — 

"  There  is  but  one  rule  of  action  for  a  soldier  in  the  field,  as  for  a 
man  at  all  times,  to  do  that  which  is  best  for  the  public  good;  to 
make  that  your  sole  aim,  resting  assured  that  the  result  will  in  the 
end  be  best  for  individual  interest  also.  I  am  quite  indifferent  not  to 
see  my  name  appear  in  newspaper  paragraphs  and  despatches;  only 


DEATH    OF   GENERAL  BARNARD.  31 

content  if  I  can  perform  my  duty  truly  and  honestly,  and  too  thank 
ful  to  the  Almighty  if  I  am  daily  spared  for  future  labors  or  future 
repose." 

But  here  is  another  coil  this  June  27th  :  — 

"  There  has  been  an  outcry  throughout  the  camp  at 's  having 

fled  from  Bhagput,  the  bridge  which  caused  me  so  much  hard  riding 
and  hard  work  to  get,  some  time  ago." 

He  has  actually  bolted,  on  a  report  of  mutineers  coming, 
leaving  boats,  bridge,  and  all.  By  this  conduct  he  has  lost  our 
communication  with  Meerut,  and  that  too  when  our  reinforce 
ments  were  actually  in  sight.  The  consequence  is  that  I  have  to 
go  down  to  Bhagput  to  recover  boats,  bridge,  &c.,  and  reopen 
communication,  which  is  done  at  once  and  satisfactorily ;  and 
by  July  2d  we  are  quite  comfortable,  for  I  have  set  myself  up 
with  plates,  &c.,  for  one  rupee,  and  Colonel  Seaton's  traps  and 
servants  will  be  here  to-day  .  .  .  except  that  we  are  some 
what  vexed  in  our  spirits,  for 

" has  been  shelved  and  allowed  to  get  sick,  to  save  him  from 

supersession.  I  do  not  like  euphuisms.  In  these  days  men  and 
things  should  be  called  by  their  right  names,  that  we  might  know 
how  far  either  should  be  trusted. 

"  July  5th.  —  General  Barnai'd  dies  of  cholera  after  a  few  hours'  ill 
ness.  Personally  I  am  much  grieved,  for  no  kinder  or  more  consider 
ate  or  gentlemanly  man  ever  lived.  I  am  so  sorry  for  his  son,  a  fine 
brave  fellow,  whose  attention  to  his  father  won  the  love  of  us  all.  It 
was  quite  beautiful  to  see  them  together." 

And  so  we  plunge  on  day  after  day,  the  rain  nearly  flood 
ing  us  out  of  camp.  Will  the  ladies  in  the  hills  make  us  some 
flannel  shirts  ? 

"  The  soldiers  bear  up  like  men,  but  the  constant  state  of  wet  is  no 
small  addition  to  what  they  have  to  endure  from  heat,  hard  work,  and 
fighting.  I  know  by  experience  what  a  comfort  a  dry  flannel  shirt 
is. 

"  July  ~i2th.  —  Three  hundred  of  my  new  regiment  arrive ;  very  fine- 
looking  fellows,  most  of  them.  I  am  getting  quite  a  little  army  under 
me,  what  with  the  Guides  and  my  own  men.  Would  to  Heaven  they 
would  give  us  something  more  to  do  than  this  desultory  warfare, 


32  BEFORE   DELHI. 

which  destroys  our  best  men,  and  brings  us  no  whit  nearer  Delhi,  and 
removes  the  end  of  the  campaign  to  an  indefinite  period." 

Another  fight  this  14th  July,  one  of  the  sharpest  we  have 
yet  had,  and  we  who  have  to  lead  were  obliged  to  expose  our 
selves,  but  really  not  more  than  we  could  help  ;  and  how  the 
papers  can  have  got  hold  of  this  wound  story  I  can't  think,  for 
I  didn't  tell  it  even  to  you.  The  facts  are  thus  :  — 

"  A  rascally  Pandy  made  a  thrust  at  my  horse,  which  I  parried, 
when  he  seized  his  '  tulwar '  in  both  hands,  bringing  it  down  like  a 
sledge-hammer;  it  caught  on  the  iron  of  my  antigropelos  legging, 
which  it  broke  into  the  skin,  cut  through  the  stirrup-leather,  and  took 
a  slice  off  my  boot  and  stocking;  and  yet,  wonderful  to  say,  the  sword 
did  not  penetrate  the  skin.  Both  my  horse  and  myself  were  staggered 
by  the  force  of  the  blow,  but  I  recovered  myself  quickly,  and  1  don't 
think  that  Pandy  will  ever  raise  his  'tulwar'  again." 

But,  to  show  you  that  I  did  no  more  than  was  necessary,  I 
must  tell  you  what  Chamberlain  had  to  do,  who  led  in  another 
part, 

"  Seeing  a  hesitation  among  the  troops  he  led,  who  did  not  like  the 
look  of  a  wall  lined  with  Pandies,  and  stopped  short,  instead  of  going 
up  to  it,  he  leaped  his  horse  .clean  over  the  wall  into  the  midst  of 
them,  and  dared  the  men  to  follow,  which  they  did,  but  he  got  a  ball 
in  the  shoulder." 

I  must  positively  give  up  the  Quartermaster-General's  work ; 
head-quarters'  staff  seems  breaking  down  altogether.  Gen 
eral  Reed  goes  to  the  hills  to-night ;  Congreve  and  Curzon 
have  been  sent  off,  too ;  Chamberlain  and  Becher  on  their 
backs  with  wounds. 

"  Colonel  Young,  Norman,  and  myself,  are  therefore  the  only  repre 
sentatives  of  the  head-quarters'  staff,  except  the  doctors  and  com 
missaries.  I  am  wonderfully  well,  thank  God!  and  able  to  get 
through  as  much  work  as  any  man;  but  commanding  two  regiments, 
and  being  eyes  and  ears  to  the  whole  army,  too,  is  really  too  much." 

Again,  to-day  (July  1 9)  a  sharp  fight ;  Pandies  in  great 
force  —  driven  pellrnell  up  to  the  walls;  but  how  about  get 
ting  back. 

"  We  were  commanded  by  a  fine  old  gentleman,  who  might  sit  for 


COLONEL  JONES.  33 

^  portrait  of  Falstaff,  so  fat  and  jolly  is  he,  Colonel  Jones,  of  60th 
Rifles." 

Jolly  old  Briton,  with  the  clearest  possible  notion  of  going 
on,  but  as  for  retiring,  little  enough  idea  of  that  sort  of  work 
in  Colonel  Jones. 

"  The  instant  we  began  to  draw  off,  they  followed  us,  their  immense 
numbers  giving  them  a  great  power  of  annoyance  at  very  slight  cost 
to  themselves.  The  brave  old  colonel  was  going  to  retire  '  all  of  a 
heap,'  infantry,  guns,  and  all  in  a  helpless  mass,  and  we  should  have 
suffered  cruel  loss  in  those  narrow  roads,  with  Avails  and  buildings  on 
both  sides.  I  rode  up  to  him  and  pointed  this  out,  and  in  reply  re 
ceived  carte  blanche  to  act  as  I  saw  best.  This  was  soon  done,  with 
the  assistance  of  Henry  Vicars  (Adjutant  61st)  and  Coghill  (Adju 
tant  2d  Bengal  European  Fusileers),  both  cool  soldiers  under  fire, 
though  so  young,  and  we  got  off  in  good  order  and  with  trifling  loss, 
drawing  the  men  back  slowly,  and  in  regular  order,  covered  by  Dix- 
on's  and  Money's  guns." 

This  colonel,  too,  with  no  notion  of  retreating,  is  a  candid 
man  ;  goes  straight  to  the  general  on  his  return,  and  begs  to 
thank  our  Lieutenant,  and  to  say  he  hopes  for  no  better  aid 
whenever  he  has  to  lead  ;  unlike  some  persons  under  whom 
we  have  served. 

"  The  general  has  begged  me  to  gjve  up  the  Guides,  and  not  the 
quartermaster-general's  office.  You,  at  least,  will  rejoice  that  it 
greatly  diminishes  the  risk  to  life  and  limb,  which,  I  confess,  lately 
has  been  excessive  in  my  case." 

News  of  Wheeler's  surrender  —  of  the  massacre  four  days 
later  (July  26),  and  our  blood  is  running  fire.  "  There  will 
be  a  day  of  reckoning  for  these  things,  and  a  fierce  one,  or  I 
have  been  a  soldier  in  vain."  Another  fight  on  the  24th,  and 
Seaton  down  with  chest-wound,  but  doing  well ;  "  he  is  pa 
tient  and  gentle  in  suffering  as  a  woman,  and  this  helps  his 
recovery  wonderfully."  .  .  .  Thanks  for  the  flannel  waistcoats ; 
but  as  for  you  and  Mrs. coming  to  camp  as  nurses,  no. 

"  Unless  any  unforeseen  emergency  should  arise,  I  would  strongly 

dissuade  any  lady  from  coming  to   camp.      They  would   all  very 

speedily  become  patients  in  the  very  hospitals  which  they  came  to 

serve,  and  would  so  willingly  support.     The  flannel   garments   are 

2* 


34  NANA  SAHIB. 

invaluable,  and  this  is  all  that  can  be  done  for  us  by  female  hands  at 
present.  .  .  .  You  say  there  is  a  great  difference  between  doing  one's 
duty  and  running  unnecessary  risks,  and  you  say  truly;  the  only 
question,  what  is  one's  duty.  Now,  I  might,  as  I  have  more  than 
once,  see  things  going  wrong  at  a  time  and  place  when  I  might  be 
merely  a  spectator,  and  not  '  on  duty,'  or  ordered  to  be  there,  and  I 
might  feel  that  by  exposing  myself  to  danger  for  a  time  1  might  rec 
tify  matters,  and  I  might  therefore  think  it  right  to  incur  that  danger; 
and  yet,  if  I  were  to  get  hit,  it  would  be  said  '  he  had  no  business 
there; '  nor  should  I,  as  far  as  the  rules  of  the  service  go,  though,  in 
my  own  mind,  I  should  have  been  satisfied  that  I  was  right.  These 
are  times  when  every  man  should  do  his  best,  his  utmost,  and  not  say, 
'  No ;  though  I  see  I  can  do  good  there,  yet,  as  I  have  not  been  or 
dered  and  am  not  on  duty,  I  will  not  do  it.'  This  is  not  my  idea  of 
a  soldier's  duty,  and  hitherto  the  results  have  proved  me  right." 

August  3d.  —  Rumor  that  Sir  Henry  is  dead  at  Lucknow. 
The  news  has  quite  unnerved  me.  5th.  —  Nana  Sahib,  the 
murderer  (you  remember  the  man  at  the  artillery  review,  a 
"swell"  looking  native  gentleman,  who  spoke  French,  and 
was  talking  a  good  deal  to  Alfred  Light),  has  been  beaten  by 
Havelock,  they  say  has  drowned  himself. 

"I  hope  it  is  not  true;  for  it  is  one  of  my  aims  to  have  the  catch 
ing  of  the  said  Nana  myself.  The  hanging  him  would  be  a  positive 
pleasure  to  me.  .  .  .  Nicholson"  has  come  on  ahead  of  our  reinforce 
ments  from  the  Punjaub;  a  host  in  himself,  if  he  does  not  go  and  get 
knocked  over  as  Chamberlain  did. 

"  General  Wilson  has  been  down  for  some  days,  but  is  now  better, 
but  nervous  and  over-anxious  about  trifles.  .  .  .  These  men  are, 
personally,  as  brave  as  lions,  but  they  have  not  big  hearts  or  heads 
enough  for  circumstances  of  serious  responsibility.  .  .  . 

August  llth.  —  Talking  of  jealousies,  one  day,  under  a  heavy  fire. 

Captain came  up  to  me,  and  begged  me  to  forget  and  forgive 

what  had  passed,  and  only  to  remember  that  we  were  soldiers  fight 
ing  together  in  a  common  cause.  As  I  was  the  injured  party,  I  could 
afford  to  do  this.  The  time  and  place,  as  well  as  his  manner,  ap 
pealed  to  my  better  feelings,  so  I  held  out  my  hand  at  once.  Nowa 
days,  we  must  stand  by  and  help  each  other,  forget  all  injuries,  and 
rise  superior  to  them,  or  God  help  us !  we  should  be  in  terrible 
plight." 

August  12th.  —  A  brilliant  affair  under  Showers  ;  four  guns 


BOLD    STROKE   AT   ROHTUCK.  35 

taken.  Brave  young  Owen  wounded,  "  riding  astride  one 
gun,  and  a  soldier  with  musket  and  fixed  bayonet  riding  each 
horse,  the  rest  cheering  like  mad  things.  I  was  in  the  thick 
of  it,  by  accident" 

By  this  time,  Pandy,  having  been  beaten  severely  in  twenty- 
three  fights,  has  had  nearly  enough  of  it,  and  is  very  chary  of 
doing  more  than  firing  long  shots,  so  there  is  no  longer  so 
much  need  of  our  Lieutenant  in  camp.  He  may  surely  be 
useful  in  clearing  the  neighborhood  and  restoring  British  rule 
and  order ;  so  we  find  him  starting  for  Rohtuck,  on  1 7th  Au 
gust,  with  three  hundred  men  and  five  officers,  —  all  his  own 
men,  and  first-rate,  —  and  Macdowell,  two  Goughs,  Ward,  and 
Wise.  On  the  18th  the  inhabitants  send  supplies  and  fair 
words,  but  there  is  a  body  of  a  thousand  infantry  and  three 
hundred  horse  close  by,  who  must  be  handled.  Accordingly, 
they  are  drawn  into  the  open  by  a  feigned  retreat,  and  come 
on  firing  and  yelling  in  crowds. 

"  Threes  about  and  at  them ;  "  five  parties,  each  headed 
by  an  officer,  are  upon  them.  "  Never  was  such  a  scatter ; 
they  fled  as  if  not  the  Guides  and  Hodson's  Horse,  but  death 
and  the  devil,  were  at  their  heels."  Only  eight  of  my  men 
touched.  This  will  encourage  my  new  hands,  utterly  un 
trained. 

Another  skirmish,  and  now  — 

"  In  three  days  we  have  frightened  away  and  demoralized  a  force 
of  artillery,  cavalry,  and  infantry,  some  two  thousand  strong,  beat 
those  who  stood  or  returned  to  fight  us,  twice,  in  spite  of  numbers, 
and  got  fed  and  furnished  forth  by  the  rascally  town  itself.  More 
over,  we  have  thoroughly  cowed  the  whole  neighborhood,  and  given 
them  a  taste  of  what  more  they  will  get  unless  they  keep  quiet  in 
future.  .  .  .  This  is  a  terribly  egotistical  detail,  and  I  am  thoroughly 
ashamed  of  saying  so  much  of  myself;  but  you  insisted  on  having  a 
full,  true,  and  particular  account,  so  do  not  think  me  vainglorious.'1- 

Next  come  orders,  but  sadly  indefinite  ones,  to  look  out  for 
and  destroy  the  10th  Light  Cavalry,  who  are  out  in  the  Jheend 
district :  — 

"He  must  either  say  distinctly  '  do  this  or  that,'  and  I  will  do  it; 


36  IN  DELHI. 

or  he  must  give  me  carte  blanche  to  do  what  he  wants  in  the  most 
practicable  way,  of  which  I,  knowing  the  country,  can  best  judge. 
I  am  not  going  to  fag  my  men  and  horses  to  death,  and  then  be  told  I 
have  exceeded  my  instructions.  He  gives  me  immense  credit  for 
what  I  have  done,  but '  almost  wishes  I  had  not  ventured  so  far.'  The 
old  gentleman  means  well,  but  does  not  understand  either  the  country 
or  the  position  I  was  in,  nor  does  he  appreciate  a  tenth  part  of  the 
effects  which  our  bold  stroke  at  Rohtuck,  forty-five  miles  from  camp, 
has  produced.  'WimporteJ  they  will  find  it  out  sooner  or  later.  I 
hear  both  Chamberlain  and  Nicholson  took  my  view  of  the  case,  and 
supported  me  warmly.  ...  I  foi-esee  that  I  shall  remain  a  subal 
tern,  and  the  easy-going  majors  of  brigade,  aides-de-camp,  and  staff- 
officers  will  all  get  brevets." 

Too  true,  my  Lieutenant. 

'  The  Victoria  Cross,  I  confess,  is  the  highest  object  of  my  ambi 
tion,  and  had  I  been  one  of  Fortune's  favorites,  I  should  have  had  it 
ere  now." 

True  again. 

"  But,  whether  a  lieutenant  or  lieutenant-general,  I  trust  I  shall  con 
tinue  to  do  my  duty  to  the  best  of  my  judgment  and  ability,  as  long 
as  strength  and  sense  are  vouchsafed  to  me." 

We  trust,  and  are  on  the  whole  by  this  time  prepared  to 
hazard  a  prophecy,  that  you  will  so  continue,  whether  lieuten 
ant  or  general. 

August  26th.  —  A  glorious  victory  at  Nujjufghur,  by  Nichol 
son.  I  was  not  there.  Ill  in  camp ;  worse  luck.  .  .  .  Scour 
ing  the  country  again  till  August  30th,  when  I  have  to  receive 
an  emissary  from  Delhi  to  treat. 

Sir  Colin  Campbell  is,  they  say,  at  Calcutta,  and  Mansfield, 
as  chief  of  the  staff;  so  now  we  may  get  some  leading. 

We  are  in  Delhi  at  last  (September  15th),  but  with  grievous 
loss.  My  dear  old  regiment  (1st  Fusileers)  suffered  out  of  all 
proportion. 

"  Of  the  officers  engaged  only  Wriford,  Wallace,  and  I  are  un 
touched.  My  preservation  (I  don't  like  the  word  escape)  was  mirac 
ulous."  .  . 


CAPTURE    OF   THE   KING.  37 

Nicholson  dangerously  hit;  ten  out  of  seventeen  engineer 
officers  killed  or  wounded. 

.  .  .  "  '  You  may  count  our  real  officers  on  your  fingers  now.' 

"Sept.  16th.  —  I  grieve  much  for  poor  Jacob;  we  buried  him  and 
throe  sergeants  of  the  regiment,  last  night;  he  was  a  noble  soldier. 
His  death  has  made  me  captain,  the  long  wished-for  goal;  but  I 
would  rather  have  served  on  as  a  subaltern  than  gained  promotion  thus. 

"  Sept.  IMh.  —  We  are  making  slow  progress  in  the  city.  The  fact 
is,  the  troops  are  utterly  demoralized  by  hard  work  and  hard  drink,  I 
grieve  to  say.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life,  I  have  had  to  see  English 
soldiers  refuse,  repeatedly,  to  follow  their  officers.  Greville,  Jacob, 
Nicholson,  and  Speke  were  all  sacrificed  to  this. 

"  Sept.  2'2d.  —  In  the  Royal  Palace,  Delhi.  —  I  was  quite  unable  to 
write  yesterday,  having  had  a  hard  day's  work.  I  was  fortunate 
enough  to  capture  the  King  and  his  favorite  wife.  To-day,  more 
fortunate  still,  I  have  seized  and  destroyed  the  King's  two  sons  and  a 
grandson  (the  famous,  or  rather  infamous,  Abu  Bukt),  the  villains 
who  ordered  the  massacre  of  our  women  and  children,  and  stood  by 
and  Avitnessed  the  foul  barbarity;  their  bodies  are  now  lying  on  the 
spot  where  those  of  the  unfortunate  ladies  were  exposed.  I  am  very 
tired,  but  very  much  satisfied  with  my  day's  work,  and  so  seem  all 
hands." 

This  is  Hodson's  account  of  the  two  most  remarkable  ex 
ploits  in  even  his  career.  We  have  no  space  to  give  his  own 
full  narrative,  which  he  writes  later,  upon  being  pressed  to  do 
so  ;  or  the  graphic  account  of  Macdowell,  his  lieutenant,  which 
will  be  found  in  the  book,  and  it  would  be  literary  murder  to 
mutilate  such  gems.  As  to  defending  the  shooting  of  the  two 
princes,  let  those  do  it  who  feel  that  a  defence  is  needed,  for 
we  believe  that  no  Englishman,  worth  convincing,  now  doubts 
as  to  the  righteousness  and  policy  of  the  act,  and  probably  the 
old  Radical  general-officer  and  M.  P.,  who  thought  it  his  duty 
to  call  Hodson  hard  names  at  the  time,  has  reconsidered  his 
opinion.  Whether  he  has  or  not,  however,  matters  little.  He 
who  did  the  deed,  and  is  gone,  cared  not  for  hasty  or  false 
tongues,  —  why  should  we  ? 

"  Strange,"  he  says,  "  that  some  of  those  who  are  loudest  against 
me  for  sparing  the  King,  are  also  crying  out  at  my  destroying  his  sons. 
'  Quousque  tandem?  '  I  may  well  exclaim.  But.  in  point  of  fact,  I 


38  GOES   TO   UMBALA. 

am  quite  indifferent  to  clamor  either  way.  I  made  up  my  mind,  at 
the  time,  to  be  abused.  I  was  convinced  I  was  right,  and  when  I 
prepared  to  run  the  great  physical  risk  of  the  attempt,  I  was  equally 
game  for  the  moral  risk  of  praise  or  blame.  These  have  not  been, 
and  are  not  times  when  a  man  who  would  serve  his  country  dare  hes 
itate,  as  to  the  personal  consequences  to  himself,  of  what  he  thinks  his 
duty." 

"  By  Jove,  Hodson,  they  ought  to  make  you  Commander-in- 
Chief  for  this,"  shouts  the  enthusiast  to  whom  the  prisoners 
were  handed  over.  "  Well,  I'm  glad  you  have  got  him,  but  I 
never  expected  to  see  either  him  or  you  again,"  says  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief,  and  sits  down  and  writes  the  following  des 
patch  :  — 

"  The  King,  who  accompanied  the  troops  for  some  short  distance 
last  night,  gave  himself  up  to  a  party  of  Irregular  Cavalry,  whom  I 
sent  out  in  the  direction  of  the  fugitives,  and  he  is  now  a  prisoner 
under  a  guard  of  European  soldiers." 

Delhi  is  ours ;  but  at  what  a  cost  in  officers  and  men  !  and 
Nicholson  is  dead. 

"  With  the  single  exception  of  my  ever  revered  friend,  Sir  Henry 
Lawrence,  and  Colonel  Mackeson,  I  have  never  met  his  equal  in  field 
or  council;  he  was  preeminently  our  best  and  bravest,  and  his  loss  is 
not  to  be  atoned  for  in  these  days. 

"  The  troops  have  behaved  with  singular  moderation  towards 
women  and  children,  considering  their  provocation.  I  do  not  believe, 
and  I  have  some  means  of  knowing,  that  a  single  woman  or  child  has 
been  purposely  injured  by  our  troops,  and  the  story  on  which  your 
righteous  indignation  is  grounded  is  quite  false;  the  troops  have  been 
demoralized  by  drink,  but  nothing  more." 

In  November  he  gets  a  few  weeks'  leave,  and  is  off  to 
Umbala  to  meet  his  wife  for  the  last  time,  safe  after  all,  and  no 
longer  a  lieutenant  under  a  cloud.  AVhat  a  meeting  must  that 
have  been. 

With  the  taking  of  Delhi  our  narrative,  already  too  long, 
must  close,  though  a  grand  five  months  of  heroic  action 
still  remained.  Nothing  in  the  book  exceeds  in  interest 
the  ride  of  ninety-four  miles  from  Seaton's  column,  with 
young  Macdowell,  to  carry  a  despatch  to  Sir  Colin,  on  De- 


ANECDOTES.  39 

ceraber  30th.  The  tale  of  the  early  morning  summons,  the 
rumors  of  enemies  on  the  road,  the  suspense  as  to  the  Chief's 
whereabouts,  the  leaving  all  escort  behind,  their  flattering  and 
cordial  reception  by  Sir  Colin,  (who  gets  them  "  chops  and 
ale  in  a  quiet  friendly  way,")  the  fifty-four  miles'  ride  home, 
the  midnight  alarm  and  escape,  and  the  safe  run  in,  take  away 
our  breath.  And  the  finish  is  inimitable. 

"  All  Hodson  said,"  writes  Macdowell,  "  when  we  were  at  Bewar, 
and  safe,  was  '  By  George!  Mac,  I'd  give  a  good  deal  for  a  cup  of 
tea,'  and  immediately  went  to  sleep.  He  is  the  coolest  hand  I  have 
ever  yet  met.  We  rode  ninety -four  miles.  Hodson  rode  seventy-two 
on  one  horse,  the  little  dun,  and  I  rode  Alma  seveuty-two  miles  also." 

One  more  anecdote,  however,  we  cannot  resist.  On  the 
6th  of  January,  1858,  Seaton's  column  joins  the  Commander- 
in-Chief;  on  the  27th,  at  Shumshabad,  poor  young  Macdowell 
(whose  letters  make  one  love  him)  is  killed,  and  Hodson  badly 
wounded.  They  were  in  advance,  as  usual,  with  guns,  and 
had  to  charge  a  superior  body  of  cavalry  :  — 

"  But  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  fighting,  as,  had  we  not  attacked 
them,  they  would  have  got  in  amongst  our  guns.  We  were  only  three 
officers,  and  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  horsemen,  —  my  poor 
friend  and  second  in  command,  Macdowell,  having  received  a  mortal 
wound  a  few  minutes  before  we  charged.  It  was  a  terrible  melee  for 
some  time,  and  we  were  most  wonderfully  preserved.  However,  we 
gave  them  a  very  proper  thrashing,  and  killed  their  leaders.  Two 
out  of  the  -three  of  us  were  wounded,  and  five  of  my  men  killed  and 
eleven  wounded,  besides  eleven  horses.  My  horse  had  three  sabre- 
cuts,  and  I  got  two,  which  I  consider  a  rather  unfair  share.  The 
Commander-in-Cliief  is  very  well  satisfied,  I  hear,  with  the  day's 
work,  and  is  profusely  civil  and  kind  to  me." 

In  another  letter  he  writes  :  — 

"  They  were  very  superior  in  number,  and  individually  so  as  horse 
men  and  swordsmen,  but  we  managed  to  '  whop  '  them  all  the  same, 
and  drive  them  clean  off  the  field ;  not,  however,  until  they  had  made 
two  very  pretty  dashes  at  us,  which  cost  us  some  trouble  and  very 
hard  fighting.  It  was  the  hardest  thing  of  the  kind  in  which  I  ever 
was  engaged  in  point  of  regular  '  in  fighting,'  as  they  say  in  the 
P.  R. ;  only  Bell's  Life  could  describe  it  properly.  I  got  a  cut, 


40  MORTALLY   WOUNDED. 

which  laid  my  thumb  open,  from  a  fellow  after  my  sword  was  through 
him,  and  about  half  an  hour  later  this  caused  me  to  get  a  second  se 
vere  cut,  which  divided  the  muscles  of  the  right  arm,  and  put  me 
hors  de  combat;  for  my  grip  on  the  sword-handle  was  weakened,  and 
a  demon  on  foot  succeeded  in  striking  down  my  guard,  or  rather  his 
tulwar  glanced  oft' my  guard  on  to  my  arm.  My  horse,  also,  got  three 
cuts.  1  have  got  well  most  rapidly,  despite  an  attack  of  erysipelas, 
which  looked  very  nasty  for  three  days,  and  some  slight  fever;  and  * 
have  every  reason  to  be  thankful." 

He  is  able,  notwithstanding  wounds,  to  accompany  the 
forces,  Colonel  Burn  kindly  driving  him  in  his  dog-cart. 
Nothing  could  exceed  Sir  Colin's  kind  attentions.  Here  is  a 
chief,  at  last,  who  can  appreciate  a  certain  captain,  late  lieu 
tenant  under  a  cloud.  The  old  chief  drinks  his  health  as 
colonel,  and,  on  Hodson's  doubting,  says  :  — 

"  /will  see  that  it  is  all  arranged;  just  make  a  memorandum  of 
your  services  during  the  Punjaub  war,  and  I  venture  to  prophesy  that 
it  will  not  be  long  before  I  shake  hands  with  you  as  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Hodson,  C.B.,  with  a  Victoria  Cross  to  boot." 

By  the  end  of  February  he  is  well,  and  in  command  of  his 
regiment  again,  and  in  his  last  fight  saves  the  life  of  his  adju 
tant,  Lieut.  Gough,  by  cutting  doAvn  a  rebel  trooper  in  the  very 
act  of  spearing  him. 

And  now  comes  the  end.  For  a  week  the  siege  had  gone 
on,  and  work  after  work  of  the  enemy  had  fallen.  On  the 
llth  of  March  the  Begum's  Palace  was  to  be  assaulted.  Hod- 
son  had  orders  to  move  his  regiment  nearer  to  the  walls,  and 
while  choosing  a  spot  for  his  camp  heard  firing,  rode  on,  and 
found  his  friend  Brigadier  Napier  directing  the  assault.  He 
joined  him,  saying,  "  I  am  come  to  take  care  of  you  ;  you 
have  no  business  to  go  to  work  without  me  to  look  after  you." 
They  entered  the  breach  together,  were  separated  in  the  melee, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  Hodson  was  shot  through  the  chest.  The 
next  morning  the  wound  was  declared  to  be  mortal,  and  he 
sent  for  Napier  to  give  his  last  instructions. 

"  He  lay  on  his  bed  of  mortal  agony,"  says  this  friend,  "  and  met 
death  with  the  same  calm  composure  which  so  much  distinguished 
him  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  was  quite  conscious  and  peaceful,  oc- 


DEATH  AT  LUCKNOW.  41 

casionally  uttering  a  sentence,  '  My  poor  wife,'  '  My  poor  sisters.'  '  I 
should  have  liked  to  have  seen  the  end  of  the  campaign  and  gone 
home  to  the  dear  ones  once  more,  but  it  was  so  ordered.'  '  It  is  hard 
to  leave  the  world  just  now,  when  success  is  so  near,  but  God's  will 
be  done.'  '  Bear  witness  for  me  that  I  have  tried  to  do  my  duty  to 
man.  May  God  forgive  my  sins,  for  Christ's  sake.'  'I  go  to  my 
Father.'  'My  love  to  my  wife,  —  tell  her  my  last  thoughts  were  of 
her.'  '  Lord  receive  my  soul.'  These  were  his  last  words,  and  with 
out  a  sigh  or  struggle  his  pure  and  noble  spirit  took  its  flight." 

"  It  was  so  ordered."  They  were  his  own  words  ;  and  now 
that  the  first  anguish  of  his  loss  is  over,  will  not  even  those 

O  ' 

nearest  and  dearest  to  him  acknowledge  "  it  was  ordered  for 
the  best  ?  "  For  is  there  not  something  painful  to  us  in  calcu 
lating  the  petty  rewards  which  we  can  bestow  upon  a  man  who 
has  done  any  work  of  deliverance  for  his  country  ?  Do  we 
not  almost  dread  —  eagerly  as  we  may  desire  his  return  —  to 
hear  the  vulgar,  formal  phrases  which  are  all  we  can  devise  to 
commemorate  the  toils  and  sufferings  that  we  think  of  with 
most  gratitude  and  affection  ?  There  is  somewhat  calming 
and  soothing  in  the  sadness  which  follows  a  brave  man  to  his 
grave  in  the  very  place  where  his  work  was  done,  just  when  it 
was  done.  Alas,  but  it  is  a  bitter  lesson  to  learn,  even  to  us 
his  old  schoolfellows,  who  have  never  seen  him  since  we  parted 
at  his  "  leaving  breakfast."  May  God  make  us  all  braver  and 
truer  workers  at  our  own  small  tasks,  and  worthy  to  join  him, 
the  hard  fighter,  the  glorious  Christian  soldier  and  Englishman, 
when  our  time  shall  come. 

On  the  next  day,  March  13th,  he  was  carried  to  a  soldier's 
grave,  in  the  presence  of  the  head-quarters,  staff,  and  of  Sir 
Colin,  his  last  chief,  who  writes  thus  to  his  widow :  — 

"  I  followed  your  noble  husband  to  the  grave  myself,  in  order  to 
mark,  in  the  most  public  manner,  my  regret  and  esteem  for  the  most 
brilliant  soldier  under  my  command,  and  one  whom  I  was  proud  to 
call  my  friend." 

What  living  Englishman  can  add  one  iota  to  such  praise 
from  such  lips  ?  The  man  of  whom  the  greatest  of  English 
soldiers  could  thus  speak,  needs  no  mark  of  official  approba 
tion,  though  it  is  a  burning  disgrace  to  the  authorities  that 


42  MONUMENTS. 

none  such  has  been  given.  But  the  family  which  mourns  its 
noblest  son  may  be  content  with  the  rewards  which  his  gallant 
life  and  glorious  death  have  won  for  him  and  them,  —  we  be 
lieve  that  he  himself  would  desire  no  others.  For  his  brothers- 
in-arms  are  erecting  a  monument  to  him  in  Lichfield  Cathedral ; 
his  schoolfellows  are  putting  up  a  window  to  him,  and  the  other 
Rugbseans  who  have  fallen  with  him,  in  Rugby  Chapel ;  and 
the  three  regiments  of  Hodson's  Horse  will  hand  down  his 
name  on  the  scene  of  his  work  and  of  his  death  as  long  as 
Englishmen  bear  rule  in  India.  And  long  after  that  rule  has 
ceased,  while  England  can  honor  brave  deeds  and  be  grateful 
to  brave  men,  the  heroes  of  the  Indian  mutiny  will  never  be 
forgotten,  and  the  hearts  of  our  children's  children  will  leap 
up  at  the  names  of  Lawrence,  Havelock,  and  Hodson. 

THOMAS  HUGHES. 


3To  tfje  S& 

OF 

SIR   HENRY   LAWRENCE,    K.  C.  B. 

THE    TRUE    CHRISTIAN,    THE    BRAVE    SOLDIER, 

THE    FAITHFUL    FRIEND, 
THESE     EXTRACTS     FROM    THE     LETTERS    OF 

ONE    WHOM    HE    TRAINED 

TO     FOLLOW     IN    HIS     FOOTSTEPS,     AND     WHO     NOW 
RESTS    NEAR   HIM    AT    LUCKNOW, 

&re  JBetifcatetr 
BY   THE   EDITOR. 


They  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives, 
And  in  their  deaths  they  were  not  divided. 


PREFACE   TO   THE   THIRD   EDITION. 


I  HAVE  now  been  able  to  complete  the  series  of 
extracts  from  my  brother's  letters,  down  to  the 
morning  of  the  fatal  llth  March.  The  greater 
portion  of  the  Fourth  Chapter  of  Part  II.  will  be 
found  to  have  been  added  since  the  first  edition. 

I  have  to  apologize  for  an  inaccuracy  in  the 
quotation  which  I  gave  from  Sir  Colin  Campbell's 
letter  on  the  occasion  of  my  brother's  death.  A 
correct  copy  of  the  letter  in  full  will  be  found  at 
page  431.  I  have  not  found  it  necessary  to  make 
any  other  corrections  of  importance.  Cases  have 
been  pointed  out  to  me,  in  which  officers  who 
took  part  in  different  operations  described,  and 
did  good  service,  are  not  mentioned  by  name  ; 
but  I  felt  that  I  could  not  supply  any  such  omis 
sions,  without  taking  upon  myself  a  responsibility 
which  I  have  disclaimed. 

It  was  very  natural  that  my  brother,  in  writing 
to  his  wife,  should  make  especial  mention  of  those 
in  whom  she  was  interested.  It  is  probable,  too, 
that  in  some  cases,  subsequent  information  would 
have  modified  views  expressed  at  the  moment,  but 


46  PREFACE  TO  THE  THIRD  EDITION. 

I  have  adhered  to  the  principle  of  giving  his  let 
ters  as  they  were  written  day  by  day. 

The  favorable  reception  given  to  the  former 
editionst)f  this  work,  has  quite  satisfied  me  that 
I  was  not  wrong  in  supposing  that  my  brother's 
character  only  required  to  be  known,  in  order  to 
be  estimated  as  it  deserved,  by  Englishmen  of 
every  class  and  profession. 

COOKHAM  DEANE,  July,  1859. 


PREFACE    TO   THE   FIRST   EDITION. 


IT  can  scarcely  be  needful  to  make  any  apology 
for  offering  to  the  public  this  record  of  one  who 
has  attracted  to  himself  so  large  a  measure  of 
attention  and  admiration.  Many,  both  in  this 
country  and  in  India,  have  expressed,  and  I  doubt 
not  many  others  have  felt,  a  desire  to  know  more 
of  the  commander  of  Hodson's  Horse,  and  captor 
of  the  King  of  Delhi  and  his  sons. 

My  original  intention  was  to  have  compiled 
from  my  brother's  letters  merely  an  account  of  the 
part  he  bore  in  the  late  unhappy  war.  I  very 
soon,  however,  determined  to  extend  the  work,  so 
as  to  embrace  the  whole  of  his  life  in  India. 

I  felt  that  the  public  would  naturally  inquire 
by  what  previous  process  of  training  he  had  ac 
quired,  not  merely  his  consummate  skill  in  the 
great  game  of  war,  but  his  experience  of  Asiatics 
and  marvellous  influence  over  their  minds. 

The  earlier  portions  of  this  book  will  serve  to 
answer  such  inquiries  ;  they  will  show  the  gradual 
development  of  my  brother's  character  and  pow 
ers,  and  that  those  exploits  which  astonished  the 


48  PREFACE   TO   THE   FIRST   EDITION. 

world  by  their  skill  and  daring,  were  but  the  natu 
ral  results  of  the  high  idea  of  the  soldier's  profes 
sion  which  he  proposed  to  himself,  honestly  and 
consistently  worked  out  during  ten  years  of  train 
ing,  in  perhaps  the  finest  school  that  ever  existed 
for  soldiers  and  administrators.  They  will  explain 
how  it  was  that,  in  the  midst  of  a  struggle  for  the 
very  existence  of  our  empire,  he  was  able  to  call 
into  being  and  bring  into  the  field  around  Delhi 
an  "  invincible  and  all  but  ubiquitous  "  body  of 
cavalry. 

The  dragon's  teeth  which  came  up  armed  men, 
had  been  sown  by  him  long  before  in  his  earlier 
career  in  the  Punjaub.  There,  by  many  a  deed  of 
daring  and  activity,  by  many  a  successful  strata 
gem  and  midnight  surprise,  by  many  a  desperate 
contest,  he  had  taught  the  Sikhs,  first  to  dread  him 
as  an  enemy,  and  then  to  idolize  him  as  a  leader. 
Already  in  1849  the  Governor- General  had  had 
"  frequent  occasions  of  noticing  not  only  his  per 
sonal  gallantry,  but  the  activity,  energy,  and  in 
telligence  with  which  he  discharged  whatever  du 
ties  were  intrusted  to  him."  Even  then  the  name 
of  Hodson,  although  unknown  in  England,  except 
to  the  few  who  watched  his  course  with  the  eyes 
of  affection,  was  a  sound  of  terror  to  the  Sikhs,  and 
a  bugbear  to  their  children.  In  1852  he  earned 
this  high  praise  from  one  best  qualified  to  judge  : 
"  Lieutenant  Hodson,  marvellously  attaching  the 
Guides  to  himself  by  the  ties  of  mutual  honor, 
mutual  daring,  and  mutual  devotion,  has  on  every 


PREFACE   TO  THE   FIRST  EDITION.  49 

opportunity  proved  that  the  discipline  of  a  public 
school  and  subsequent  University  training  are  no 
disqualification  for  hazardous  warfare,  or  for  the 
difficult  task  of  keeping  wild  tribes  in  check." 

The  title  given  to  this  book  will  sufficiently  in 
dicate  the  principle  on  which,  particularly  in  the 
first  part,  I  have  made  selections  from  my  broth 
er's  letters.  My  object  has  been  to  show  what  a 
soldier's  life  in  India  may  be,  and  what  in  his  case 
it  was  ;  how  wide  and  varied  is  the  field  which  it 
opens  for  the  exercise  of  the  highest  and  noblest 
qualities,  intellectual  and  moral,  of  our  nature  ] 
and  how  magnificently  he  realized  and  grasped 
the  conception. 

His  letters,  written  in  all  the  freedom  of  unre 
served  intercourse,  will  give  a  truer  notion  of  his 
character  than  the  most  labored  description  ;  they 
exhibit  the  undercurrent  of  deep  feelings  that  ran 
through  even  his  most  playful  moods,  the  yearn 
ing  after  home  that  mingled  with  the  dreams  of 
ambition  and  the  thirst  for  the  excitement  of  war, 
the  almost  womanly  tenderness  that  coexisted 
with  the  stern  determination  of  the  soldier.  They 
show  that  though  his  lot  was  cast  in  camps,  he 
was  not  a  mere  soldier ;  though  a  hanger-on  on 
the  outskirts  of  civilization  amidst  wild  tribes,  he 
had  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  refinement  and 
elegancies  of  civilized  life  ;  that  though  in  India, 
he  remembered  that  he  was  an  Englishman  ;  that 
though  living  amongst  the  heathen,  he  did  not 
forget  that  he  was  a  Christian. 


50  PREFACE    TO  THE   FIRST   EDITION. 

I  have  not  attempted  to  write  a  biography, 
but  have  allowed  my  brother  to  speak  for  him 
self,  merely  supplying  such  connecting  links  as 
seemed  absolutely  necessary. 

Indeed,  I  could  do  no  otherwise  ;  for  unhappily, 
during  the  twelve  years  of  his  soldier's  life,  —  those 
years  in  which  his  character  received  its  mature 
development,  —  I  knew  him  only  by  his  letters, 
or  by  the  reports  of  others ;  when  we  parted  on 
board  the  ship  that  carried  him  from  England,  in 
1845,  we  parted  to  meet  no  more  in  this  world. 
My  recollections  of  him,  vivid  as  they  are,  are  not 
of  the  leader  of  men  in  council  and  the  battle 
field,  but  of  the  bright  and  joyous  boy,  the  life 
of  the  home  circle,  the  tender  and  affectionate 
son,  the  loving  brother,  the  valued  friend,  the 
popular  companion. 

Of  what  he  became  afterwards  my  readers  will 
have  the  same  means  of  judging  as  myself.  He 
seems  to  me  to  have  been  one  of  whom  not  only 
his  family,  but  his  country  may  well  be  proud,  — 
a  worthy  representative  of  the  English  name  and 
nation  amongst  the  tribes  of  India,  an  imperson 
ation  of  manly  straightforwardness,  and  unhesi 
tating  daring,  and  irresistible  power. 

I  cannot  doubt  but  that  the  verdict  of  his 
countrymen  will  confirm  my  judgment. 

Many  too,  I  believe,  will  agree  with  me  in 
thinking  that  these  pages  prove  that  the  poetry 
and  romance  of  war  are  not  yet  extinct,  that  even 
the  Enfield  rifle  has  not  reduced  all  men  to  a 


PREFACE  TO    THE   FIRST   EDITION.  51 

dead  level,  but  that  there  is  still  a  place  to  be 
found  for  individual  prowess,  for  the  lion  heart, 
and  the  eagle  eye,  and  the  iron  will.  One  seems 
transported  back  from  the  prosaic  nineteenth  cen 
tury  to  the  ages  of  romance  and  chivalry,  and  to 
catch  a  glimpse,  now  of  a  Paladin  of  old,  now  of 
a  knightly  hero  sans  peur  et  sans  reproche ;  now, 
of  a  northern  chieftain,  "  riding  on  border  foray," 
now  of  a  captain  of  free-lances  ;  yet  all  dissolving 
into  a  Christian  soldier  of  our  own  day. 

Most  striking  of  all,  it  has  appeared  to  me,  is 
the  resemblance  to  the  romantic  career  of  that 
hero  of  the  Spanish  ballads,  who,  by  his  many 
deeds  of  heroic  daring,  gained  for  himself  the  dis 
tinguished  title  of  "  El  de  las  Hazanas,"  —  "  He 
of  the  exploits."  Those  who  are  acquainted  with 
the  chronicles  of  the  Conquest  of  Granada,  will 
almost  fancy  in  reading  these  pages  that  they  are 
hearing  again  the  story  of  Fernando  Perez  del 
Pulgar ;  how  at  one  time  by  a  bold  dash  he  rode 
with  a  handful  of  followers  across  a  country 
swarming  with  the  enemy,  and  managed  to  force 
his  way  into  a  beleaguered  fortress  ;  how  at  another 
he  galloped  alone  up  the  streets  of  Granada,  then 
in  possession  of  the  enemy,  to  the  gates  of  the 
principal  mosque,  and  nailed  a  paper  to  the  door 
with  his  dagger ;  how  again  he  turned  the  tide  of 
battle  by  the  mere  charm  of  his  eagle  eye  and 
thrilling  voice,  inspiring  the  most  timid  with  a 
courage  equal  to  his  own ;  how  he  made  the 
enemy  lay  down  their  arms  at  his  wTord  of  com- 


52  PREFACE   TO   THE   FIRST   EDITION. 

mand;  how  the  Moorish  mothers  frightened  their 
children  with  the  sound  of  his  name  ;  how  he 
was  not  only  the  harebrained  adventurer,  delight 
ing  in  peril  and  thirsting  for  the  excitement  of  the 
fight,  but  also  the  courteous  gentleman,  the  ac 
complished  scholar  ;  as  profound  and  sagacious  in 
the  council  as  he  was  reckless  in  the  field,  and 
frequently  selected  by  the  wily  Ferdinand  to  con 
duct  affairs  requiring  the  greatest  prudence  and 
judgment* 

It  may  be,  however,  that  affection  has  biassed 
my  judgment,  and  that  I  shall  be  thought  to  have 
formed  an  exaggerated  estimate  of  the  grandeur 
and  nobleness  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir. 
Even  if  this  be  so,  I  shall  not  take  much  to  heart 
the  charge  of  having  loved  such  a  brother  too 
well,  and  I  shall  console  myself  with  the  thought 
that  I  have  endeavored  to  do  something  to  perpet 
uate  his  memory. 

If,  however,  any  young  soldier  be  induced,  by 
reading  these  pages,  to  take  a  higher  view  of  his 
profession,  to  think  of  it  as  one  of  the  noblest 
fields  in  which  he  can  serve  his  God  and  his 
country,  and  enter  on  it  in  a  spirit  of  self-sacri 
fice,  with  "  duty  "  as  his  guiding  principle,  and  a 
determination  never  to  forget  that  he  is  a  Chris 
tian  soldier  and  an  Englishman,  I  shall  be  abun 
dantly  rewarded ;  my  main  object  will  be  attained. 

COOKHAM  DEANE,  December,  1858. 

*  See  Washington  Irving,  &c. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY  LIFE  —  RUGBY — TRINITY  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  — 
GUERNSEY  MILITIA pp.57  —  61 

CHAPTER,  II. 

ARRIVAL  IN  INDIA — CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  SUTLEJ,  BATTLES 
OF  MOODKEE,  FEROZESHAH,  SOBRAON  —  OCCUPATION 
OF  LAHORE  —  1845-6 62  —  81 

CHAPTER  III. 

FIRST  BENGAL  EUROPEAN  FUSILEERS  —  CASHMERE  WITH 
SIKH  ARMY  —  LAWRENCE  ASYLUM  —  APPOINTMENT 

TO  GUIDE  CORPS  —  June,  1846 —  Oct.  1847  .    82—  102 
CHAPTER  IV. 

EMPLOYMENT  IN  THE  PUNJAUB  AS  SECOND  IN  COMMAND 
OF  THE  CORPS  OF  GUIDES,  AND  ALSO  AS  ASSISTANT 

TO    THE    RESIDENT    AT    LAHORE ROAD-MAKING    AND 

SURVEYING  —  CAMPAIGN     OF     1848-9  —  CAPTURE     OF 
FORTS  —  BATTLE     OF     GUJERAT  —  ANNEXATION     OF 

PUNJAUB  —  Oct.  1847  —  March,  1849     .     .     103  —  141 


54  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   V. 

ANNEXATION  OF  PUNJAUB  —  INCREASE  OF  CORPS  OF 
GUIDES  AT  PESHAWUR  —  TRANSFER  TO  CIVIL  DEPART 
MENT  AS  ASSISTANT  COMMISSIONER  —  April,  1849 

—  April,    1850 pp.  142  —  156 

CHAPTER   VI. 

TOUR  IN  CASHMERE  AND  THIBET  WITH  SIR  HENRY  LAW 
RENCE TRANSFER  TO  CIS-SUTLEJ  PROVINCES  —  June, 

1850—0^.1851 157  —  177 

CHAPTER   VII. 

MARRIAGE  —  COMMAND  OF  THE  GUIDES  —  PESHAWUR  — 
EUZOFZAI  —  FRONTIER  WARFARE  MURDAN  —  Jan. 

1852  —Nov.  1854 178  —  204 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

REVERSES  —  UNJUST  TREATMENT  — OFFICIAL  ENMITY  — 
LOSS  OF  COMMAND  —  SUPPRESSION  OF  REPORT  — 
RETURN  TO  REGIMENTAL  DUTIES  —  BETTER  PROS 
PECTS  —  MAJOR  TAYLOR'S  REPORT  —  TESTIMONY  OF 

SIR     R.     NAPIER  —  MR.    MONTGOMERY  —  Nov.    1854  — 

May,   1857 205  —  226 


PART   II. 

NARRATIVE  OF  THE  DELHI  CAMPAIGN,  1857,  1858. 
CHAPTER  I. 

OUTBREAK  OF  REBELLION  —  MARCH  DOWN  TO  DELHI 
FROM  DUGSHAI  WITH  FIRST  EUROPEAN  BENGAL  FU- 
SILEERS  —  APPOINTMENT  TO  INTELLIGENCE  DEPART- 


CONTENTS.  55 

MENT  —  RIDE    FROM    KURNAL     TO     MEERUT    TO    OPEN 
COMMUNICATION  —  ORDER      TO      RAISE     REGIMENT  — 

DEATH  OF    GENERAL    ANSOX  —  May  10th —  June  8th, 

pp.  227  —  245 

CHAPTER  II. 
SIEGE    OF    DELHI  —  June  —  August     ....     246  —  306 

CHAPTER  III. 

SIEGE    OF    DELHI,    CONTINUED  —  ROHTUCK    EXPEDITION  — 

ASSAULT   DELHI     TAKEN  CAPTURE     OF     KING  

CAPTURE    AND  EXECUTION    OF    SHAHZADAHS AufJUSt 

nth  — Sept.  2oth     .     .     . 307  —  359 

CHAPTER    IV. 

OPERATIONS  IN  THE  NEIGHBORHOOD  OF  DELHI  —  SHOW- 
ERS'S  COLUMN  —  SEATOX'S  COLUMN  —  ACTIONS  AT 
GUNGEREE,  PUTIALEE,  MYNPOOREE  —  RIDE  TO  COM- 
MANDER-IN-CHIEF'S  CAMP  —  JUNCTION  OF  FORCES  — 
SHUMSHABAD — Oct.  —  Jan 360  —  418 

CHAPTER   V. 

ALUMBAGH,  LUCKNOW — THE  BEGUM'S  PALACE — BANKS'8 
HOUSE  —  THE  SOLDIER'S  DEATH  —  NOTICES  —  CON 
CLUDING  REMARKS  —  Feb.  —  March  I2lh  .  419  —  444 


TWELVE   YEARS 

OF   A 

SOLDIER'S  LIFE  IN   INDIA. 


PART  I. 
CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY    LIFE. RUGBY. CAMBRIDGE. GUERNSEY. 

WILLIAM  STEPHEN  RAIKES  HODSON,  third 
son  of  Rev.  George  Hodson,  afterwards  Arch 
deacon  of  Stafford  and  Canon  of  Lichfield,  was 
born  at  Maisemore  Court,  near  Gloucester,  on 
19th  March,  1821. 

As  a  boy,  his  affectionate  disposition  and  bright 
and  joyous  character  endeared  him  greatly  to  his 
family,  and  made  him  a  general  favorite  with  all 
around  him,  old  and  young,  rich  and  poor.  That 
which  characterized  him  most  was  Ms  quickness 
of  observation  and  his  interest  in  everything  going 
on  about  him.  By  living  with  his  eyes  and  ears 
open,  and  never  suffering  anything  to  escape  his 
notice,  he  acquired  a  stock  of  practical  knowledge 
which  he  turned  to  good  account  in  his  after-life. 
With  the  exception  of  a  short  time  spent  with  a 


58  RUGBY. 

private  tutor,  the  Rev.  E.  Harland,  he  was  edu 
cated  at  home  till  he  went  to  Rugby,  in  his  fif 
teenth  year.  Home  life,  however,  had  not  pre 
vented  him  from  growing  up  an  active,  high- 
spirited  boy,  full  of  life  and  energy. 

His  feats  of  activity  at  Rugby  still  live  in  the 
remembrance  of  his  contemporaries  and  the  tradi 
tions  of  the  school.  The  following  is  an  extract 
from  a  paper  in  the  Book  of  Rugby  School,  pub 
lished  in  1856: — 

Who  does  not  remember  the  fair-haired,  light-complex- 
ioned  active  man  whose  running  feats,  whether  in  the 
open  fields  or  on  the  gravel  walks  of  the  Close,  created 
such  marvel  among  his  contemporaries.  He  has  carried 
his  hare  and  hounds  into  his  country's  service,  and  as 
commandant  of  the  gallant  corps  of  Guides,  has  displayed 
an  activity  and  courage  on  the  wild  frontier  of  the  Pun- 
jaub,  the  natural  development  of  Ins  early  prowess  at 
Crick  and  Brownsover. 

A  very  similar  notice  appeared  in  a  periodical 
during  the  recent  campaign  :  — 

The  Rugbceans  have  had  their  Crick  run.  Six  miles 
over  heavy  country,  there  and  back,  to  the  school  gates 
by  the  road,  is  no  mean  distance  to  be  done  in  one  hour 
twenty-nine  minutes. 

There  was  a  day  when  the  gallant  leader  of  Hodson's 
Horse  always  led  in  this  run.  We  think  we  see  "  larky 
Pritchard,"  as  he  was  familiarly  designated,  in  his  blue 
cloth  jacket,  white  trousers,  his  well-known  belt,  and  his 
"  golden  hair,"  going  in  front  with  his  nice  easy  stride,  (for 


KUGBY.  59 

he  never  had  any  very  great  pace,  though  he  could  last 
forever,)  and  getting  back  coolly  and  comfortably  to 
"  Bons  "  when  the  rear  hounds  were  toiling  a  mile  behind. 
There  never  was  such  a  boy  to  run  over,  after  second 
lesson,  to  Dunclmrch  to  see  the  North  Warwickshire,  or 
to  give  himself  a  "  pipe-opener  "  to  Lutterworth  and  back 
between  callings  over,  till  the  doctor  vowed  he  would 
injure  his  heart.  How  true  it  is  that  men  who  have 
distinguished  themselves  most  in  school  sports  come  out 
the  best  at  last. 

It  was  not,  however,  only  in  active  sports  that 
he  showed  ability.  As  head  of  a  house,  during 
the  later  portion  of  his  Rugby  life,  he  gave  equal 
indications  of  "  administrative  capacity." 

His  tutor,  (the  present  Bishop  of  Calcutta,) 
speaking  of  his  having  been  transferred  to  his 
house,  in  which  there  were  then  no  praepostors, 
"  because,  from  his  energetic  character  and  nat 
ural  ability,  he  seemed  to  Dr.  Arnold  likely  to 
give  me  efficient  help,"  continues :  "  He  gave 
abundant  proof  that  Arnold's  choice  had  been  a 
wise  one.  Though  he  immediately  reestablished 
the  shattered  prestige  of  prsepositorial  power,  he 
contrived  to  make  himself  very  popular  with 
various  classes  of  boys.  The  younger  ones 
found  in  him  an  efficient  protector  against  bul 
lying.  Those  of  a  more  literary  turn  found  in 
him  an  agreeable  and  intelligent  companion,  and 
were  fond  of  being  admitted  to  sit  in  his  study 
and  talk  on  matters  of  intellectual  interest.  The 
democrats  had  got  their  master,  and  submitted 


60  CAMBRIDGE. 

with  a  good  grace  to  power  which  they  could  not 
resist,  and  which  was  judiciously  and  moderately 
exercised.  The  regime  was  wise,  firm,  and  kind, 
and  the  house  was  happy  and  prosperous. 

"  From  all  that  I  knew  of  him,  both  at  Rugby 
and  afterwards,  I  was  not  surprised  at  the  cour 
age  and  coolness  which  the  Times  compared 
'  to  the  spirit  of  a  Paladin  of  old.'  I  cannot  say 
how  much  I  regret  that  I  shall  not  be  welcomed 
in  India  by  the  first  head  of  my  dear  old  house 
at  Rugby." 

From  Rugby  my  brother  went,  in  October, 
1840,  to  Trinity  College,  Cambridge.  Here,  as 
might  have  been  expected  from  his  previous 
habits,  he  took  an  active  interest  in  boating  and 
other  athletic  amusements,  while  at  the  same 
time  he  by  no  means  neglected  the  more  serious 
and  intellectual  pursuits  of  the  University.  He 
had  a  very  considerable  acquaintance  with,  and 
taste  for,  both  classical  and  general  literature, 
but  a  constitutional  tendency  to  headache  very 
much  stood  in  the  way  of  any  close  application 
to  books ;  and,  after  he  had  taken  his  degree  in 
1844,  was  one  strong  reason  for  his  deciding  on 
an  active  rather  than  a  studious  life.  The  Indian 
army  seemed  to  offer  the  best  opening,  but  while 
waiting  for  a  cadetship,  in  order  to  prevent  super 
annuation  he  obtained,  through  the  kind  intro 
duction  of  Lord  de  Saumarez,  a  commission  in 
the  Guernsey  Militia  from  Major- General  W. 
Napier,  the  Lieutenant- Governor,  and  there  com- 


GUERNSEY   MILITIA.  61 

menced  his  military  life.  From  the  first  he  felt 
that  the  profession  of  a  soldier  was  one  that 
required  to  be  studied,  and  took  every  opportu 
nity  of  mastering  its  principles. 

On  his  leaving  Guernsey  to  enter  the  Hon. 
East  India  Company's  service,  Major-General 
W.  Napier  bore  this  testimony  to  his  character : 
"  I  think  he  will  be  an  acquisition  to  any  service. 
His  education,  his  ability,  his  zeal  to  make  him 
self  acquainted  with  military  matters,  gave  me 
the  greatest  satisfaction  during  his  service  with 
the  militia." 


CHAPTER   II. 

ARRIVAL      IN      INDIA.  CAMPAIGN      ON      THE      SUTLEJ, 

1845-46. 

MY  brother  landed  at  Calcutta  on  the  13th  of 
September,  1845,  and,  with  as  little  delay  as  pos 
sible,  proceeded  up  the  country  to  Agra,  where  he 
found  a  hearty  welcome  beneath  the  hospitable 
roof  of  the  Hon.  James  Thomason,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  of  the  Northwest  Provinces,  an  old 
family  friend  and  connection,  who,  from  that  time 
to  his  death,  treated  him  with  as  much  affection, 
and  took  as  deep  an  interest  in  his  career,  as  if 
he  had  been  his  own  son. 

He  was  appointed  to  do  duty  with  the  2d 
Grenadiers,  then  forming  a  part  of  the  Governor- 
General's  escort,  and,  accordingly,  left  Agra  on 
November  2d.  In  the  following  letter  he  de 
scribes  his  first  impressions  of  camp  life,  in  an 
Indian  army. 

After  mentioning  a  delay  caused  by  an  attack 
of  fever  and  dysentery,  on  his  way  to  the  camp, 
he  proceeds : — 

I  was  able,  however,  to  join  the  Grenadiers  at  four 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  and  share  their  dusty 


CAMP.  63 

march  of  ten  miles  to  the  village  near  which  the  Govern 
or-General's  camp  was  pitched.  Since  that  day  we  have 
been  denizens  of  a  canvas  city  of  a  really  astonishing  ex 
tent,  seeing  that  it  is  the  creation  of  a  few  hours,  and 
shifts  with  its  enormous  population,  some  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  a  day.  I  wonder  more  every  day  at  the  ease  and 
magnitude  of  the  arrangements,  and  the  varied  and  inter 
esting  pictures  continually  before  our  eyes.  Soon  after 
four  A.  M.,  a  bugle  sounds  the  reveille,  and  the  whole  mass 
is  astir  at  once.  The  smoke  of  the  evening  fires  has  by 
this  time  blown  away,  and  everything  stands  out  clear 
and  defined  in  the  bright  moonlight.  The  Sepoys,  too, 
bring  the  straw  from  their  tents,  and  make  fires  to  warm 
their  black  faces  on  all  sides,  and  the  groups  of  swarthy 
redcoats  stooping  over  the  blaze,  with  a  white  background 
of  canvas,  and  the  dark  clear  sky  behind  all,  produce  a 
most  picturesque  effect  as  one  turns  out  into  the  cold. 
Then  the  multitudes  of  camels,  horses,  and  elephants,  in 
all  imaginable  groups  and  positions,  —  the  groans  and 
cries  of  the  former  as  they  stoop  and  kneel  for  their  bur 
dens,  the  neighing  of  hundreds  of  horses  mingling  with 
the  shouts  of  the  innumerable  servants  and  their  masters' 
calls,  the  bleating  of  sheep  and  goats,  and  louder  than  all, 
the  shrill  screams  of  the  Hindoo  women,  almost  bewilder 
one's  senses  as  one  treads  one's  way  through  the  canvas 
streets  and  squares  to  the  place  where  the  regiment  as 
sembles  outside  the  camp. 

A  second  bugle  sounds  "the  assembly."  There  is  a 
blaze  of  torches  from  the  Governor's  tents  ;  his  palan 
quin  carriage,  drawn  by  four  mules,  and  escorted  by  jin 
gling  troopers,  trots  to  the  front.  The  artillery  thunder 
forth  the  morning  gun,  as  a  signal  that  the  great  man  is 
gone,  —  the  guns  rattle  by,  —  the  cavalry  push  on  after 


64  CAMP. 

them,  —  and  then  at  length  our  band  strikes  up.  "  For 
ward"  is  the  word,  and  the  red  (and  black)  column  moves 
along,  by  this  time  as  completely  obscured  by  the  dense 
clouds  of  dust  as  though  they  were  in  London  during  a 
November  fog.  We  are  not  expected  to  remain  with  our 
men,  but  mount  at  once,  and  ride  in  a  cluster  before  the 
band,  or  ride  on  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so,  in  twos  arid 
threes,  complaining  of  the  laziness  of  the  great  man's 
people,  and  of  the  dust  and  cold,  as  if  we  were  the  most 
ill-used  of  her  Majesty's  subjects.  As  soon  as  we're  off 
the  ground,  and  the  road  pretty  clear,  I  dismount,  and 
walk  the  first  eight  miles  or  so,  this  being  the  time  to 
recover  one's  powers  of  locomotion.  The  cold  is  really 
very  great,  especially  in  the  hour. before  sunrise,  —  gener 
ally  about  one  and  a  half  or  two  hours  after  we  start.  It 
soon  gets  warm  enough  to  make  one  glad  to  ride  again, 
and  by  the  time  the  march  is  over,  and  the  white  city  is 
in  sight,  the  heat  is  very  great,  though  now  diminishing 
daily.  It  is  a  sudden  change  of  temperature,  truly,  — 
from  near  freezing  at  starting,  to  90°  or  100°  at  arriving ; 
and  it  is  this,  I  think,  which  makes  us  feel  the  heat  so 
much  in  this  climate.  In  the  daytime  we  get  on  very 
well ;  the  heat  seldom  exceeding  86°,  and  often  not  more 
than  84°  and  82°  in  tents.  It  sounds  hot,  but  a  house  or 
tent  at  84°  is  tolerably  endurable,  especially  if  there  is  a. 
breeze.  My  tent  is  twelve  feet  square  inside,  and  con 
tains  a  low  pallet  bed,  a  table,  chair,  two  camel  trunks, 
and  brass  basin  for  washing.  I  will  get  a  sketch  of  the 
camp  to  send  you. 

Nov.  18^.  —  This  nomad  life  is  agreeable  in  many 
respects,  and  very  healthy,  and  one  sees  a  great  deal 
of  the  country,  but  it  destroys  time  rather,  as  the 
march  is  not  over,  generally,  till  half-past  nine  or  ten, 


CAMP.  65 

and  then  breakfast,  a  most  eagerly  desired  composition, 
and  dressing  afterwards,  do  not  leave  much  of  the  day 
before  the  cool  evening  comes  for  exercise,  or  sight 
seeing  and  dining,  and  by  nine  most  of  us  are  in  bed, 
or  near  it. 

Dec.  2.  — Umbala. — We  had  a  short  march  of  six  miles 
into  Umbala  this  morning,  and  I  got  leave  from  our  colo 
nel  to  ride  on  and  see  the  troops  assemble  to  greet  the  Gov 
ernor-General.  I  never  saw  so  splendid  a  sight :  12,000 
of  the  finest  troops  were  drawn  up  in  one  line,  and  as  I 
rode  slowly  along  the  whole  front,  I  had  an  excellent  op 
portunity  of  examining  the  varied  materials  of  an  Indian 
army.  First  were  the  English  Horse  Artillery ;  then  the 
dashing  dragoons  of  the  3d  Queen's,  most  splendidly 
mounted  and  appointed  ;  then  came  the  stern,  determined- 
looking  British  footmen,  side  by  side  with  their  tall  and 
swarthy  brethren  from  the  Ganges  and  Jumna,  —  the 
Hindoo,  the  Mussulman,  and  the  white  man,  all  obeying 
the  same  word,  and  acknowledging  the  same  common  tie ; 
next  to  these  a  large  brigade  of  guns,  with  a  mixture  of 
all  colors  and  creeds  ;  then  more  regiments  of  foot,  the 
whole  closed  up  by  the  regiments  of  native  cavalry : 
the  quiet-looking  and  English-dressed  Hindoo  troopers 
strangely  contrasted  with  the  wild  Irregulars  in  all  the  fan 
ciful  ^muniformity  of  their  native  costume  ;  yet  these  last 
are  the  men  /  fancy  for  service.  Altogether,  it  was  a 
most  interesting  sight,  either  to  the  historian  or  soldier, 
especially  as  one  remembered  that  these  were  no  men  of 
parade,  but  assembled  here  to  be  poured  across  the  Sutlej 
at  a  word. 

The  "pomp  and  circumstance"  of  war  were 
soon  to  be  exchanged  for  its  stern  realities,  as  will 


G6  SUTLEJ   CAMPAIGN. 

be  seen  in  the  following  letter  to  his  father,  dated 
Christmas  Day,  1845  :  — 

CAMP,  SULTANPOOR. 

I  take  the  first  day  of  rest  we  have  had,  to  write  a  few 
hurried  lines  to  relieve  you  from  any  anxiety  you  may 
have  felt  at  not  hearing  from  me  by  the  last  mails,  or 
from  newspaper  accounts,  which  will,  I  fear,  reach  you 
before  this  letter  can.  I  am  most  thankful  to  be  able  to 
sit  down  once  more  to  write  to  you  all  but  unharmed. 
Since  I  wrote,  I  have  been  in  four  general  engagements 
of  the  most  formidable  kind  ever  known  in  India.  For 
the  first  time  we  had  to  contend  with  a  brave  and  uncon- 
quered  people,  disciplined,  and  led  on  like  our  own  troops 
by  European  skill ;  and  the  result,  though  successful  to 
our  arms,  has  been  fearful  indeed  as  to  carnage.  You  will 
see  accounts  in  the  papers  giving  details  more  accurate 
than  I  can  possibly  furnish,  both  of  our  wonderfully  rapid 
and  fatiguing  marches,  and  of  the  obstinate  and  bloody 
resistance  we  met  with.  On  the  10th  of  this  month,  on 
our  usual  quiet  march  to  Sirhind  with  the  Governor-Gen 
eral's  camp,  we  were  surprised  by  being  joined  by  an  ad 
ditional  regiment,  and  by  an  order  for  all  non-soldiers  to 
return  to  Umbala.  From  that  day  we  have  had  the 
fatigues  and  exertions  of  actual  warfare  in  their  broadest 
forms,  —  marching  day  and  night  unprecedented  distances, 
scarcity  of  sleep  and  food,  and  all  the  varieties  of  cold 
and  heat.  I  enjoyed  all,  and  entered  into  it  with  great 
zest,  till  we  came  to  actual  blows,  or  rather,  I  am  (now) 
half  ashamed  to  say,  till  the  blows  were  over,  and  I  saw 
the  horrible  scenes  which  ensue  on  war.  I  have  had 
quite  enough  of  such  sights  now,  and  hope  it  may  not  be 
my  lot  to  be  exposed  to  them  again.  Our  loss  has  been 
most  severe,  especially  in  officers.  Our  Sepoys  could  not 


SUTLEJ   CAMPAIGN.  67 

be  got  to  face  the  tremendous  fire  of  the  Sikh  artillery, 
and,  as  usual,  the  more  they  quailed,  the  more  the  Eng 
lish  officers  exposed  themselves  in  vain  efforts  to  bring 
them  on.     The  greatest  destruction  was,  however,  among 
the  Governor-General's   staff,  —  only  two  (his   own   son 
and  Colonel  Benson)  escaped  death  or  severe  wounds. 
They  seemed  marked  for  destruction,  and  certainly  met  it 
most  gallantly.     On  the  15th  we  joined  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  with  his  troops  from  Umbala,  were  put  off  escort 
duty,  and  joined  General  Gilbert's  division.     On  the  17th 
we  had  a  march  of  thirty  miles,  (in  the  daytime,  too,) 
with  scanty  food;  on  the  18th,  after  a  fasting  march  of 
twenty-five  miles,  we  were  summoned,  at  half-past  four  in 
the  afternoon,  to  battle,  which  lasted  till  long  after  dark. 
Almost  the  first  shot  which  greeted  our  regiment  killed 
the  man  standing  by  rny  side,  and  instantly  afterwards  I 
was  staggered  by  a  ball  from  a  frightened  Sepoy  behind 
me  grazing  my  cheek  and  blackening  my  face  with  the 
powder,  —  so  close  was  it  to  my  head  !     We  were  within 
twenty,  and  at  times   ten,  yards  of  three  guns  blazing 
grape  into  us,  and  worse  than  all,  the  bushes  with  which 
the  whole  ground  was  covered  were  filled  with  marksmen 
who,  unseen  by  us,  could  pick  us  off  at  pleasure.     No 
efforts  could  bring  the  Sepoys  forward,  or  half  the  loss 
might  have  been  spared,  had  they  rushed  on  with  the 
bayonet.     We  had    three  officers   wounded   out  of  our 
small  party,  and  lost  many  of  the  men.     We  were  biv 
ouacked  on  the  cold  ground  that  night,  and  remained  un 
der  arms  the  whole  of  the  following  day.     Just  as  we 
were    going    into  action,  I  stumbled  upon   poor  Carey, 
whom  you  may  remember  to  have  heard  of  at  Price's,  at 
Rugby.     On  going  over  the  field  on  the  30th,  I  found  the 
body  actually  cut  to  pieces  by  the  keen  swords  of  the 


68  SUTLEJ  CAMPAIGN. 

Sikhs,  and  but  for  his  clothes  could  not  have  recognized 
him.  I  had  him  carried  into  camp  for  burial,  poor  fellow, 
extremely  shocked  at  the  sudden  termination  of  our  re 
newed  acquaintance.  On  Sunday,  the  21st,  we  marched 
before  daybreak  in  force  to  attack  the  enemy,  who  had 
intrenched  themselves  behind  their  formidable  artillery. 
The  action  began  in  the  afternoon,  lasted  the  whole  night, 
and  was  renewed  with  daybreak.  They  returned  again 
to  the  charge  as  often  as  we  gained  any  advantage,  and 
it  was  evening  before  they  were  finally  disposed  of  by 
a  charge  of  our  dragoons,  and  our  ammunition  ivas  ex 
hausted  !  —  so  near  are  we  in  our  most  triumphant  suc 
cesses  to  a  destruction  as  complete  !  The  results  are,  I 
suppose,  in  a  political  point  of  view,  immense  indeed. 
We  took  from  them  nearly  one  hundred  large  guns,  and 
routed  their  vast  army,  prepared,  had  they  succeeded  in 
beating  us,  to  overrun  Hindostan  ;  and  it  must  be  owned 
they  had  nearly  succeeded  !  It  will  scarcely  be  believed, 
but  they  had  actually  purchased  and  prepared  supplies  as* 
far  into  the  interior  of  our  country  as  Delhi,  and  unknown 
to  our  authorities ;  and  the  whole  of  Northern  India  was, 
as  usual,  ready  to  rise  upon  us  at  an  hour's  notice.  On 
the  evening  of  the  21st,  as  we  rushed  towards  the  guns, 
in  the  most  dense  dust  and  smoke,  and  under  an  unprece 
dented  fire  of  grape,  our  Sepoys  again  gave  way  and 
broke.  It  was  a  fearful  crisis,  but  the  bravery  of  the 
English  regiments  saved  us.  The  Colonel  (Hamilton), 
the  greater  part  of  my  brother  officers,  and  myself,  were 
left  with  the  colors  and  about  thirty  men  immediately  in 
front  of  the  batteries !  Our  escape  was  most  providen 
tial,  and  is,  I  trust,  thankfully  acknowledged  by  us.  A 
ball  (from  a  shell,  I  fancy)  struck  my  leg  below  the 
knee,  but  happily  spared  the  bone,  and  only  inflicted  a 


SUTLEJ  CAMPAIGN.  69 

flesh  wound.  I  was  also  knocked  down  twice,  —  once  by 
a  shell  bursting  so  close  to  me  as  to  kill  the  men  behind 
me,  and  once  by  the  explosion  of  a  magazine  or  mine. 
I  am  most  thankful  indeed  for  my  escape  from  death  or 
maiming.  The  wound  in  my  leg  is  nothing,  as  you  may 
judge  when  I  tell  you  that  I  was  on  foot  or  horseback 
the  whole  of  the  two  following  days.  Last  night  we 
moved  on  here  about  five  miles  from  the  scene  of  action, 
and  got  some  food,  and  into  our  beds,  after  four  days  and 
nights  on  the  ground,  alternately  tried  with  heat  and  cold 
(now  most  severe  at  night),  and  nothing  but  an  occasional 
mouthful  of  black  native  bread.  I  think,  during  the  four 
days,  all  I  had  to  eat  would  not  compose  half  a  home 
breakfast-loaf,  and  for  a  day  and  night  we  had  not  even 
water ;  when  we  did  get  water,  after  driving  the  enemy 
from  their  camp,  it  was  found  to  have  been  spoiled  with 
gunpowder !  It  was  like  eating  Leamington  water,  but 
our  thirst  was  too  great  to  stick  at  trifles. 

Dec.  26th.  —  We  are  resting  here  comfortably  again  in 
our  tents,  and  had  a  turkey  for  our  Christmas  dinner  last 
night.  The  rest  is  most  grateful.  We  had  only  nine 
hours  in  bed  out  of  five  nights,  and  then  the  next  four 
were  on  the  ground.  So  you  see  I  have  come  in  for  the 
realities  of  a  soldier's  life  pretty  early  in  my  career  ;  and 
since  I  am  spared,  it  is  doubtless  a  great  thing  for  me  in 
every  way.  There  never  has  been  anything  like  it  in 
India,  and  it  is  not  often  that  an  action  anywhere  has 
lasted  thirty-six  hours  as  ours  did.  It  is  called  a  succes 
sion  of  three  engagements,  but  the  firing  never  ceased  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Infantry  attacking  guns  was  the 
order  of  the  day,  and  the  loss  occasioned  by  such  a  des 
perate  resort  was  fearful.  How  different  your  Christmas 
week  will  have  been  from  mine  !  This  time  last  year  1 


70  SUTLEJ  CAMPAIGN. 

was  quietly  staying  at  Bisham,  and  now  sleeping  on  the 
banks  of  the  Sutlej,  with  a  sea  of  tents  around  me  for 
miles  and  miles  !  The  last  few  days  seem  a  year,  and  I 
can  scarcely  believe  that  I  have  only  been  four  months  in 
India,  and  only  two  with  my  regiment. 


To  the  HON.  JAMES  THOMASON,  Lieutenant- Governor  of 
Northwest  Provinces. 

CAMP,  BOOTA WALLAH,  January  22d,  1846. 
There  is  very  much  in  the  state  of  things  in  this  army 
both  discouraging  and  deeply  disappointing  to  one  who 
like  myself  comes  into  the  service  with  a  strong  predilec 
tion  for  the  profession,  and  a  wish  to  enter  into  its  duties 
thoroughly  and  earnestly.  I  do  not  like  to  enter  into  par 
ticulars,  for  I  hold  it  very  unmilitary,  especially  in  so 
young  a  soldier,  to  attempt  to  criticize  the  acts  and  mo 
tives  of  one's  superior,  but  I  may  in  private  again  ex 
press  my  extreme  disappointment  at  the  state  in  which 
the  Sepoys  are  at  present,  and  as  far  as  I  can  judge  from 
what  is  said  in  conversation,  there  are  but  few  officers  in 
the  army  who  do  not  deplore  it.  In  discipline  and  sub 
ordination  they  seem  to  be  lamentably  deficient,  especially 
towards  the  native  commissioned  and  non-commissioned 
officers.  On  the  march,  I  have  found  these  last  give  me 
more  trouble  than  the  men  even.  My  brother  officers 
say  that  I  see  an  unfavorable  specimen  in  the  2d,  as  re 
gards  discipline,  owing  to  their  frequent  service  of  late, 
and  the  number  of  recruits  ;  but  I  fear  the  evil  is  very 
wide-spread.  It  may  no  doubt  be  traced  mainly  to  the 
want  of  European  officers.  This,  however,  is  an  evil  not 
likely  to  be  removed  on  any  large  scale.  Meantime,  un- 


SUTLEJ  CAMPAIGN.  71 

less  some  vigorous  and  radical  improvements  take  place, 
I  think  our  position  will  be  very  uncertain  and  even 
alarming  in  the  event  of  extended  hostilities.  You  must 
really  forgive  my  speaking  so  plainly,  and  writing  my 
own  opinions  so  freely.  You  encouraged  me  to  do  so 
when  I  was  at  Agra,  if  you  remember,  and  I  value  the 
privilege  too  highly  as  connected  with  the  greater  one  of 
receiving  advice  and  counsel  from  you,  not  to  exercise  it, 
even  at  the  risk  of  your  thinking  me  presumptuous  and 
liasty  in  my  opinions.  I  imagine  (in  my  own  defence  be 
it  said)  that  three  months  of  marching  and  of  service  give 
you  more  insight  into  the  real  efficiency  or  evils  of  an 
army,  than  a  much  longer  time  spent  in  cantonments.  It 
is,  of  course,  a  deeply  interesting  subject  to  me,  and  one 
of  deep  and  anxious  reflection.  I  think  the  period  of 
"  doing  duty,"  which  I  shall  have  passed  ere  joining  my 
future  regiment,  of  the  greatest  consequence  and  benefit, 
as  enabling  me  to  form  a  judgment,  to  the  best  of  my 
abilities,  of  the  course  to  be  steered  in  the  difficult  voy 
age.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  great  problem  to  be  solved 
is  how  "  to  do  your  own  business"  at  the  same  time  that 
" you  study  to  be  quiet"  i.  e.,  how  unostentatiously  to  do 
your  appointed  duty  thoroughly,  without  being  deterred 
by  the  fear  of  being  thought  over-zealous  or  ostentatious. 

At  a  later  period,  when  it  was  proposed  to  erect 
a  monument  in  Lichfield  Cathedral  to  the  80th 
Queen's,  he  wrote  with  reference  to  their  conduct 
in  this  action  :  — 

It  is,  you  know,  a  Staffordshire  regiment,  having  been 
raised  originally  by  the  Marquis  of  Anglesey,  and  has 
still  a  great  number  of  Staffordshire  men  in  its  ranks.  It 
is  a  splendid  corps,  well-behaved  in  cantonments,  and  first- 


72  SOBRAON. 

rate  in  action.  I  lay  between  them  and  my  present  regi 
ment  (1st  E.  B.  Fusileers)  on  the  night  of  the  21st  of 
December,  at  Ferozeshah,  when  Lord  Ilardinge  called 
out  "80th!  that  gun  must  be  silenced."  They  jumped 
.up,  formed  into  line,  and  advanced  through  the  black 
darkness  silently  and  firmly ;  gradually  we  lost  the  sound 
of  their  tread,  and  anxiously  listened  for  the  slightest  inti 
mation  of  their  progress,  —  all  was  still  for  five  minutes, 
while  they  gradually  gained  the  front  of  the  battery  whose 
fire  had  caused  us  so  much  loss.  Suddenly  we  heard  a 
dropping  fire,  —  a  blaze  of  the  Sikh  cannon  followed, 
then  a  thrilling  cheer  from  the  80th,  accompanied  by  a 
rattling  and  murderous  volley  as  they  sprang  upon  the 
battery  and  spiked  the  monster  gun.  In  a  few  more 
minutes  they  moved  back  quietly,  and  lay  down  as  before 
in  the  cold  sand :  but  they  had  left  forty-five  of  their 
number  and  two  captains  to  mark  the  scene  of  their 
exploit  by  their  graves. 


CAMP,  ARMY  OF  THE  SUTLEJ,  Feb.  I2ifi,  1846. 
The  fortune  of  war  has  again  interfered  between  me 
and  my  good  intentions  of  answering  all  my  correspond 
ence  by  this  mail.  We  have  been  knocked  about  for 
some  days  so  incessantly  that  there  has  been  no  chance 
of  writing  anything ;  and  even  this  scrawl,  I  fear,  will 
hardly  reach  you.  You  will  hear  publicly  of  our  great 
victory  of  the  10th,*  and  of  the  total  and  final  rout  of  the 
Sikh  force.  But  first,  I  must  tell  you  that  the  2d  Gren 
adiers  were  sent  back  about  a  week  ago  to  the  villages 
and  posts  in  our  rear,  to  keep  open  the  communication. 
*  At  Sobraon. 


SOBRAON.  73 

Not  liking  the  notion  of  returning  to  the  rear  while  an 
enemy  was  in  front,  I  applied  immediately  to  do  duty 
with  another  regiment ;  my  petition  was  granted  ;  and  I 
joined  the  16th  Grenadiers  on  the  evening  of  the  9th 
inst.  About  three  in  the  morning  we  advanced  towards 
the  Sikh  intrenchments  along  the  river's  bank.  Our 
guns  and  ammunition  had  all  come  up  a  day  or  two  be 
fore,  and  during  the  night  were  placed  in  position  to  shell 
their  camp.  At  daybreak,  seventeen  heavy  mortars  and 
howitzers,  rockets,  and  heavy  guns  commenced  a  mag 
nificent  fire  on  their  position  ;  at  half-past  eight  the  in 
fantry  advanced,  —  Sir  R.  Dick's  division  on  the  right, 
and  ours  (Gilbert's)  in  front,  —  covered  by  our  fire  from 
the  batteries.  On  we  went  as  usual  in  the  teeth  of  a 
dreadful  fire  of  guns  and  musketry,  and  after  a  desperate 
struggle  we  got  within  their  triple  and  quadruple  intrench 
ments  ;  and  then  their  day  of  reckoning  came  indeed. 
Driven  from  trench  to  trench,  and  surrounded  on  all 
sides,  they  retired,  fighting  most  bravely,  to  the  river, 
into  which  they  were  driven  pell-mell,  a  tremendous  fire 
of  musketry  pouring  on  them  from  our  bank,  and  the 
Horse  Artillery  finishing  their  destruction  with  grape. 
The  river  is  literally  choked  with  corpses,  and  their  camp 
full  of  dead  and  dying.  An  intercepted  letter  of  theirs 
shows  that  they  have  lost  20,000  in  killed,  wounded,  and 
missing ;  all  their  guns  remaining  in  our  hands.  I  had 
the  pleasure  myself  of  spiking  two  guns  which  were 
turned  on  us.  Once  more  I  have  escaped,  I  am  thankful 
to  say,  unhurt,  except  that  a  bullet  took  a  fancy  to  my 
little  finger  and  cut  the  skin  off  the  top  of  it,  —  a  mere  pin 
scratch,  though  it  spoiled  a  buckskin  glove.  I  am  per 
fectly  well ;  we  cross  in  a  day  or  two,  but  I  fancy  have 
done  with  fighting. 


SUTLEJ   CAMPAIGN. 


To  his  Sister. 

LAHORE,  Feb.  27$,  184G. 

In  honor  of  your  birthday,  I  suppose,  we  crossed  the 
Sutlej  on  the  17th,  and  are  now  encamped  close  to  old 
Runjeet  Singh's  capital,  without  a  shot  having  been  fired 
on  this  side  the  river !  The  war  is  over :  sixty  days 
have  seen  the  overthrow  of  the  Sikh  army,  which,  when 
that  period  commenced,  marched  from  the  spot  on  which 
the  victors  are  now  encamped,  with  no  fewer  than  100,000 
fighting  men,  now 

A  broken  and  a  routed  host, 

Their  standards  gone,  their  leaders  lost. 

So  ends  the  tale  of  the  mightiest  army,  and  the  best  or 
ganized,  which  India  has  seen. 

I  hope  you  will  have  got  a  scrap  I  wrote  after  the  fight 
at  Sobraon  in  hopes  it  would  reach  you  before  the  news 
papers,  as  I  have  no  doubt  you  were  all  anxious  enough 
on  my  account,  and  indeed  you  well  might  be,  for  I  can 
hardly  imagine  (humanly  speaking)  how  it  was  possible 
to  go  through  that  storm  of  bullets  and  shot  unhurt.  I 
have  indeed  much  to  be  thankful  for,  and  I  hope  I  shall 
not  forget  the  lesson.  A  campaign  is  a  wonderful  dis- 
peller  of  false  notions  and  young  imaginations,  and  seems 
too  stern  a  hint  to  be  soon  forgotten. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Thomason  says,  in  a  letter 
to  my  father :  — 

"  I  hear  of  William  constantly  from  friends  in 
camp,  and  am  glad  to  find  that  he  is  a  great  fa 
vorite  in  his  regiment.  I  had  some  little  fear  that 
his  great  superiority  in  age  and  attainments  to 
those  of  his  own  standing  in  the  army  might 


LAHORE.  75 

make  him  the  object  of  envy  and  disparagement. 
I  felt  that  he  had  no  easy  task  before  him,  and 
that  it  would  be  difficult  to  conduct  himself  with 
discretion  and  becoming  humility  in  such  a  posi 
tion.  He  was  quite  aware  of  the  difficulty  when 
we  talked  the  matter  over  at  Agra,  and  I  am 
much  pleased  to  see  the  success  which  has  at 
tended  his  prudent  exertions." 

LAHORE,  March  4th,  1846. 

The  army  breaks  up  now  very  soon,  but  I  shall  be 
posted  before  that.  I  am  trying  to  get  into  the  1st  Euro 
pean  regiment,  now  stationed  at  Umbala,  who  have  just 
been  styled  Fusileers  for  their  distinguished  service.  It 
is  the  finest  regiment  in  India,  with  white  faces,  too,  and 
a  very  nice  set  of  officers.  I  have  been  brigaded  with 
them  all  along. 

It  seems  an  age  since  the  campaign  opened.  One  day 
of  fighting  such  as  we  have  had  fastens  itself  on  the 
memory  more  than  a  year  of  peaceful  life.  We  must 
really  have  a  natural  taste  for  fighting  highly  developed, 
for  I  catch  myself  wishing  and  "  asking  for  more,"  and 
grumbling  at  the  speedy  settlement  of  things,  and  the 
prospect  of  cantonments  instead  of  field  service.  Is  it  not 
marvellous,  as  if  one  had  not  had  a  surfeit  of  killing? 
But  the  truth  is,  that  is  not  the  motive,  but  a  sort  of  unde 
fined  ambition I  remember  bursting  into  tears  in 

sheer  rage  in  the  midst  of  the  fight  at  Sobraon  at  seeing 
our  soldiers  lying  killed  and  wounded.  Don't  let  any  of  my 
friends  forget  me  yet.  I  have  found  a  new  one,  I  think, 
in  Major  Lawrence,*  the  new  President  at  this  Court, 
thanks  to  the  unwearying  kindness  of  Mr.  Tho mason. 
*  Sir  H.  Lawrence,  K.  C.  B. 


76  SUTLEJ   CAMPAIGN. 

In  a  letter  of  the  same  date  to  Hon.  J.  Thoma- 
son,  the  following  sentence  occurs  :  — 

I  must  thank  you  very  much  for  making  me  known 
to  Major  Lawrence,  from  whom  I  have  received  every 
sort  of  attention  and  kindness.  I  have  been  very  much 
struck  with  his  superiority,  and  freedom  from  diplomatic 
solemnity  and  mystery,  which  is  rather  affected  by  the 
politicals  and  officials. 


CAMP,  NUGGUR  GHAT,  ON  THE  SUTLEJ, 
March  21th,  1846. 

The  last  returning  regiment  of  the  army  of  the  Sutlej 
crossed  that  river  yesterday  morning,  and  by  to-morrow 
every  man  will  have  left  its  banks,  on  their  way  to  their 
stations.  It  was  a  most  interesting  and  picturesque  sight 
to  see  the  army  filing  across  the  splendid  bridge  of  boats 
constructed  by  our  engineers  at  this  place.  So  many  of 
the  native  corps  have  been  required  for  the  new  province 
and  for  the  Lahore  garrison,  that  we  had  hardly  any  but 
Europeans  homeward-bound,  which  gave  an  additional 
and  home  interest  to  the  passage  of  the  river.  Dusty, 
travel-stained,  and  tired,  but  with  that  cool,  firm  air  of 
determination  which  is  the  most  marked  characteristic  of 
English  soldiers,  regiment  after  regiment  passed  on,  cav 
alry,  artillery,  and  infantry  in  succession,  their  bands 
playing  quicksteps  and  national  tunes,  as  each  stepped 
upon  the  bridge.  To  you  the  sight  would  have  been 
only  interesting  ;  but  to  those  of  us  who  had  seen  the 
same  corps  three  months  ago,  their  reduced  numbers  and 
fearfully  thinned  ranks  told  a  sadder  tale.  Regiments 


SUTLEJ   CAMPAIGN.  77 

cut  down  to  a  third,  individual  companies  to  a  fourth  or 
fifth  of  their  former  strength,  gave  a  silent  but  eloquent 
reply  to  the  boastful  strains  of  martial  music,  and  to  the 
stirring  influence  of  the  pageant.  As  each  regiment 
moved  up  on  this  side  the  river,  our  fine  old  chief  ad 
dressed  a  few  words  of  congratulation  and  praise  to  each ; 
they  pushed  on  to  their  tents,  and  a  genuine  English 
cheer,  caught  up  and  repeated  from  corps  to  corps,  and  a 
thundering  salute  from  the  artillery,  proclaimed  the  final 
dispersion,  and  bid  an  appropriate  farewell  to  the  army 
of  the  Sutlej. 

Thus  ends  my  first  campaign !  To-morrow  I  march 
with  the  26th  Native  Infantry  to  Umbala,  where  I  hope 
to  be  transferred  to  the  1st  Europeans.  I  was  posted  to 
the  26th  a  few  days  ago,  but  have  not  joined  yet,  as  I 
applied  at  once  for  an  exchange.  Marching  and  living 
in  tents  is  becoming  unpleasantly  hot  now,  and  in  another 
fortnight  will  be  very  bad.  Yesterday  we  had  a  regular 
storm  of  wind  and  dust,  filling  everything  with  sand,  and 
darkening  the  air  most  effectually;  one's  mouth,  eyes, 
ears,  and  pockets  get  filled  with  dust ;  you  sit  down  to 
breakfast,  and  your  plate  is  ready  loaded  with  sand,  your 
coffee  is  excellently  thickened,  and  your  milk  Avould  pass 
for  clotted  cream,  —  but  for  the  color.  Then  you  get  a 
sheet  of  paper,  and  vainly  imagine  you  're  writing,  but 
the  sand  conceals  the  last  word  you  write  ere  the  ink  can 
dry,  and  your  pens  split  of  themselves  with  the  dryness 
of  the  air.  In  truth,  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  do  any 
thing  while  the  storm  lasts,  for  one's  eyes  smart  and  cry 
with  the  plenitude  of  grit ;  and  if  you  talk,  you  are  set 
coughing  with  eating  small  stones !  Yet  all  this  is  far 
better  than  the  damp-exhaling  heat  of  Bengal.  Here  the 
ground  and  air  are  as  dry  by  night  as  by  day,  and  no 


78  UMBALA. 

exhalation  poisons  the  freshness  of  any  wind  that  may  be 


UMBALA,  April  13&,  1846. 

Here  I  am  once  more.  I  am  writing  in  a  comfortable 
house,  and  actually  slept  in  one  last  night,  —  the  first  time 
I  have  eaten  or  slept  under  a  roof  since  the  3d  of  No 
vember  ;  and  on  the  10th  I  saw  a  lady  again  ! 

I  find  General  Napier  has  written  to  his  brother  about 
me.  Scindh  has  been  given  over  to  the  Bombay  army, 
so  that  Sir  Charles  can't  do  anything  for  me,  but  still  the 
kindness  is  all  the  same.  Unfortunately,  the  note  reached 
me  three  days  after  Sir  Charles  left  the  army  to  return 
to  Scindh,  or  I  might  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
him  and  speaking  to  him. 


CAMP,  MORADABAD,  ROHILCUND,  April  2Qth,  1846. 

It  is  time  indeed  to  be  getting  under  cover,  for  we 
have  been  in  the  thick  of  the  "  hot  winds."  This  sounds 
a  very  mild  word,  but  you  should  only  just  try  it!  Do 
you  remember  ever  holding  your  face  over  a  stove 
when  it  was  full  of  fire  ?  and  the  rush  of  hot  air  which 
choked  you  ?  Well,  something  of  that  sort,  of  vast 
volume  and  momentum,  blowing  what  they  call  at  sea 
"  half  a  gale  of  wind,"  comes  quietly  up,  at  first  behind 
a  wall  of  dust,  and  then  with  a  roar  bursts  upon  you, 
scorching  you,  and  shrivelling  you  up  as  if  you  were  "  a 
rose  that  was  plucked."  It  feels  as  if  an  invisible,  color 
less  flame  was  playing  over  your  face  and  limbs,  scorch 
ing  without  burning  you,  and  making  your  skin  and  hair 


CAMP   LIFE.  79 

crackle  and  stiffen  until  you  are  covered  with  "crack 
ling  "  like  a  hot  roast  pig.  This  goes  on  day  after  day 
from  about  eight  or  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  sun 
set  ;  and,  accompanied  with  the  full  power  of  the  blazing 
sun  of  India,  produces  an  amount  of  heat  and  dryness 
almost  inconceivable.  The  only  resource  is  to  get  be 
hind  a  tatta  (or  wet  grass  mat)  hung  up  at  one  of  the 
doors  of  the  tent,  and  to  lie  on  the  ground  with  as  little 
motion  as  possible,  and  endeavor  to  sleep  or  read  it  out. 
Nu.no  veterum  libris,  nunc  somno  et  inertibus  koris,  —  I 
cannot  go  on,  for  the  "  sweet  forgetfulness  "  of  the  past  is 
too  much  to  expect !  To-day  we  have  a  new  nuisance  in 
the  shape  of  a  plague  of  wood-lice ;  our  camp  is  pitched  in 
an  old  grove  of  mango-trees,  and  is  literally  swarming 
with  huge  pale  lice,  in  numbers  numberless.  You  cannot 
make  a  step  without  slaying  them,  and  they  have  already 
(noon)  covered  the  whole  sides  of  the  tents,  chairs,  beds, 
tables,  and  everything.  But  one  is  really  getting  used  to 
everything,  and  I  hardly  expect  to  be  proud  again.  Our 
rest  has  been  terribly  destroyed  by  this  last  month's 
inarching,  the  usual  hour  for  the  reveille  being  two  A.  M., 
and  this  morning  a  quarter  to  one ! !  and  no  power  of 
quizzing  can  move  our  worthy  major  to  let  us  take  it 
easily,  though  I  don't  scruple  to  tell  him  that  he  has  sold 
his  shadow  or  his  soul  to  the  evil  powers,  and  forfeited 
the  power  of  sleep,  he  is  such  a  restless  animal!  We 
breakfast  at  seven,  or  even  a  quarter  past  six,  constantly, 
and  dine  at  seven  p.  M.  ;  so  one  has  a  fair  opportunity  of 
practising  abstinence,  as  I  rigidly  abstain  from  eating  in 
the  mean  time,  or  drinking.  After  all,  it  is  very  healthy 
weather,  and  I  imagine  there  is  less  harm  done  to  the 
health  in  the  hot  winds  than  even  in  the  cold  weather.  I 
have  never  been  so  well  in  India. 


80  HILL  SCENERY. 


NYNEE  TAL,  May  Uth,  1846. 

I  am  writing  from  the  last  new  Hill  Station,  discov 
ered  about  three  years  ago  by  an  adventurous  traveller, 
and  now  containing  forty  houses  and  a  bazaar.  It  is  a 
"  tal,"  or  lake,  of  about  a  mile  in  length,  lying  in  a  basin 
of  the  mountains,  about  6,200  feet  above  the  sea  ;  the 
hills  rising  about  1,800  feet  on  all  sides  of  it,  and  beauti 
fully  wooded  from  their  very  summits  down  to  the  water's 
brink.  How  I  got  here  remains  to  be  told.  You  will 
remember  that  I  had  applied,  some  time  ago,  to  be  trans 
ferred  to  the  1st  Bengal  European  Fusileers.  Well,  after 
keeping  me  in  suspense  some  seven  weeks,  and  sending 
me  the  whole  way  from  Lahore  to  Bareilly  in  April  and 
May,  I  received  notice  that  my  application  was  grant 
ed,  and  a  civil  request  to  go  back  again.  I  had  had 
enough  of  marching  in  the  plains,  and  travelling  dak 
would  have  been  madness  for  me,  so  I  determined  on 
going  up  into  the  hills,  and  making  my  way  across  the 
mountain  ranges  to  Subathoo,  where  my  regiment  is 
stationed.  A  good-natured  civilian  at  Bareilly  offered 
to  take  me  with  him  to  this  place,  from  whence  I  could 
make  a  good  start.  We  started  on  the  morning  of  the 
llth,  and  drove  to  Ilampoor,  stayed  there  till  midnight, 
and  then  set  off  for  the  hills.  By  daylight  we  got  to  the 
edge  of  the  "  Terai,"  the  far-famed  hotbed  of  fever  and 
tigers,  swamps  and  timber,  along  the  whole  ridge  of  the 
Himalayas,  stretching  along  the  plains  at  their  feet  in  a 
belt  of  about  t\venty  miles  from  the  Indus  to  the  Bur- 
hampooter.  Here  we  found  horses  awaiting  us,  and, 
mounting  at  once,  started  for  a  ride  of  twenty-seven 
miles  before  breakfast.  The  first  part  of  the  "Terai"  is 
merely  a  genuine  Irish  bog,  and  the  oily,  watery  ditches 


HILL   SCENERY.  81 

and  starved-looking  cows  shout  out  "  Fever/'  on  all  sides 
of  you.  The  last  ten  miles,  to  the  foot  of  the  hills,  is 
through  a  dense  mass  of  ragged  trees  in  all  stages  of 
growth  and  decay,  "  horrida,  inculta,  hirsuta,"  —  moist, 
unpleasant,  and  ugly.  At  length  we  reached  the  first 
low  woody  ranges  of  the  hills,  and  following  the  dry  bed 
of  a  mountain  stream,  by  noon  we  doubled  the  last  ridge, 
and  descended  upon  our  lake.  None  of  these  hills  are 
to  be  compared  in  beauty  with  Scotland  and  Wales, 
though  very  fine,  and  inexpressibly  refreshing,  almost 
affecting,  after  the  dead  flat  we  have  lived  in  so  long. 
As  soon  as  my  servants  arrive,  I  start  hence  by  myself, 
through  an  unfrequented  sea  of  vast  mountains,  by  way 
of  Landour,  for  Mussoorie,  to  Simla  and  Subathoo.  It 
is  about  340  miles,  and  will  take  me  thirty- two  or  thirty- 
four  days  to  accomplish.  I  mean  to  take  no  pony,  but 
trust  that  my  old  powers  of  walking  and  endurance  will 
revive  in  the  mountain  air. 


CHAPTER   III. 

FIRST      BENGAL      EUROPEAN      FUSILEERS. LAWRENCE 

ASYLUM.  APPOINTMENT     TO     GUIDE     CORPS. 

SUBATHOO,  June  IGth,  1846. 

WHEN  I  wrote  to  you  last  from  Sireenuggur,  I  hoped 
to  have  been  able  to  reach  this  place  by  way  of  the  hills 
and  Simla;  but,  before  I  got  to  Mussoorie,  the  early 
setting  in  of  the  rains  made  it  so  difficult  and  unpleasant 
(and  likely  to  be  dangerous)  to  get  on,  that,  after  spend 
ing  two  days  there,  I  rode  down  to  Deyra  Dhoon,  and 
came  dak  through  Saharunpoor  and  Umbala  to  Kalka, 
at  the  foot  of  these  hills,  where  I  found  my  beast  await 
ing  my  arrival,  and  mounted  the  seventeen  miles  of  hill 
at  once.  Here  I  am,  at  last,  with  my  own  regiment,  and 
with  the  prospect  of  being  quiet  for  four  months.  I  am 
eighth  Second  Lieutenant ;  a  distinguished  position  (is  it 
not?)  at  the  age  of  five-and-twenty.  The  campaign,  I 
am  sorry  to  say,  did  me  no  good  in  the  way  of  promotion, 
owing  to  my  not  having  been  "  posted "  permanently 
before  it  commenced. 


SUBATHOO,  July  3d,  1846. 

I  hope  you  will  congratulate  me  on  getting  into  my 
present   splendid   corps,  the  1st   Fusileers,  now,  alas,  a 


FIRST   FUSILEKRS.  83 

mere  shadow  of  what  it  was  six  months  ago.  We  could 
only  muster  256  men  under  arms  when  we  were  in 
spected  by  Sir  R.  Gilbert  on  the  1st ;  but,  then,  there 
was  a  most  picturesque  body  of  ^convalescents  present 
with  their  empty  sleeves,  pale  faces,  and  crutches,  but 
looking  proudly  conscious  of  their  good  conduct,  and 
ready  "  to  do  it  again."  We  are  under  much  stricter 
discipline  in  this  corps,  both  officers  and  men,  and  obliged 
to  be  orderly  and  submissive.  No  bad  thing  for  us  either. 
I  hold  there  is  more  real  liberty  in  being  under  a  decent 
restraint  than  in  absolute  freedom  from  any  check.  I 
have  been  much  more  reconciled  to  India  since  I  joined 
this  regiment.  It  is  pleasant  to  have  white  faces  about 
one,  and  hear  one's  own  tongue  spoken  ;  and  then,  besides, 
there  is  a  home-loving  feeling  in  this  corps  which  I  have 
never  met  with  in  India.  I  believe  we  would  each  and 
all  migrate  to  England,  if  we  had  our  own  way. 


To  his  Father. 

SIMLA,  Sept.  2d,  1846. 

I  came  here  on  the  31st  for  a  week,  to  stay  with  Major 
Lawrence  (now  a  Colonel  and  C.  B.),  who  dined  and  slept 
with  me  at  Subathoo  last  week,  and  pressed  me  to  come 
here.  I  am  nothing  loth,  as  I  like  him  amazingly,  and 
value  his  friendship  very  much,  and  pick  up  a  great  deal 
of  information  as  to  India,  and  Indians  black  and  white. 
He  has  kindly  offered  to  take  me  with  him  for  a  tour 
through  Jullunder  Doab,  and  up  to  Jummoo,  Rajah 
Gholab  Singh's  camp  and  court.  He  says  he  can  give 
or  get  me  leave  to  accompany  him.  My  colonel  says  he 
won't  give  any  one  leave  after  the  14th  of  this  month. 


84  VISIT   TO   SIMLA. 

Which  is  right  remains  to  be  seen,  but  I  think  you  may 
calculate  that  the  "  Agent  to  the  Governor-General " 
will  prevail,  and  I  shall  see  Jumrnoo. 

I  am  now  writing  ,in  his  room  with  the  incessant  en 
trances  and  exits  of  natives,  —  rajahs,  princes,  vakeels, 
&c.  &c.,  and  officers  civil  and  military  ;  and  the  buzz  of 
business  and  confusion  of  tongues,  black  and  white, 
learned  and  unlearned,  on  all  subjects,  political,  religious 
(at  this  minute  they  are  disputing  what  "  the  Church  " 
means),  and  military,  so  that  I  am  tolerably  puzzled.  I 
have  been  taking  a  tremendously  long  walk  this  morning 
about  the  hills  and  valleys,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Currie, 
and  enjoying  the  beauties  of  Simla. 


SIMLA,  Sept.  Uth,  184G. 

My  original  week  at  Simla  has  grown  into  a  month, 
thanks  to  Colonel  Lawrence's  pressing,  and  Colonel  Or 
chard's  (my  colonel's)  kindness.  I  should  hardly  like 
staying  so  long  with  Colonel  Lawrence,  (especially  as  I 
live  day  and  night  in  the  same  room  with  him  and  his 
papers,  regularly  camp  fashion,)  but  that  he  wishes  it, 
and  I  manage  to  give  him  a  slight  helping  hand  by  mak 
ing  precis  of  his  letters,  and  copying  confidential  papers. 
He  is  amazingly  kind,  and  tells  me  all  that  is  going  on, 
initiating  me  into  the  mysteries  of  "  political "  business, 
and  thus  giving  me  more  knowledge  of  things  and  persons 
Indian  than  I  should  learn  in  a  year  of  ordinary  life,  aye  ! 
or  in  three  years  either.  This  is  a  great  advantage  to 
my  ultimate  prospects,  of  course  independently  of  the 
power  he  possesses  of  giving  me  a  lift  in  the  world  when 
I  am  of  sufficient  standing  to  hold  any  appointment. 


COLONEL   LAWRENCE.  85 

He  makes  me  work  at  Hindostanee,  and  has  given  me 
a  lesson  or  two  in  the  use  of  the  theodolite,  and  other 
surveying  instruments,  to  the  end  that  I  may  get  em 
ployed  in  the  Surveying  Department,  after  two  years  of 
which  he  says  "  I  shall  be  fit  for  a  Political." 

I  have  been  very  fortunate  in  many  ways,  more  so  than 
I  had  any  right  to  expect.  If  I  were  only  nearer  to  you 
all,  and  had  any  old  friends  about  me,  I  should  have 
nothing  to  regret  or  wish  for.  It  is  there  that  the  shoe 
especially  pinches.  All  minor  annoyances  are  easily  got 
rid  of,  but  one  does  find  a  wonderful  lack  of  one's  old 
friends  and  old  associations.  Society  is  very  different 
here  from  ours  at  home,  and  different  as  it  is  I  have  seen 
very  little  of  it.  Nor  am  I,  with  my  previous  habits,  age, 
and  education,  the  person  to  feel  this  an  indifferent  mat 
ter  ;  but  on  the  contrary,  all  the  drawbacks  of  Indian 
existence  come  with  redoubled  force  from  the  greatness 
of  the  contrast.  Still  I  do  not  let  these  things  annoy  me, 
or  weigh  down  my  spirits,  but  strive,  by  keeping  up  Eng 
lish  habits,  tastes,  and  feelings,  and  looking  forward  to  a 
run  home,  (thus  having  a  motive  always  in  view,)  to 
make  the  best  of  everything  as  it  occurs,  and  to  act  upon 
the  principle,  that  mere  outward  circumstances  don't 
make  a  man's  happiness.  If  I  have  one  feeling  stronger 
than  another,  it  is  contempt  for  a  "  regular  Indian,"  a  man 
who  thinks  it  fine  to  adopt  a  totally  different  set  of  habits 
and  morals  and  fashions,  until,  in  forgetting  that  he  is  an 
Englishman,  he  usually  forgets  also  that  he  is  a  Christian 
and  a  gentleman.  Such  characters  are  happily  rare  now, 
but  there  are  many  fragments  of  it  on  a  small  scale,  and 
always  must  be  so,  so  long  as  the  men  who  are  to  support 
the  name  and  power  of  England  in  Asia  are  sent  out 
here  at  an  age  when  neither  by  education  nor  reflection 


86  COLONEL   LAWRENCE. 

can  they  have  learnt  all  or  even  a  fraction  of  what  those 
words  imply.  It  would  be  a  happy  thing  for  India  and 
for  themselves  if  all  came  out  here  at  a  more  advanced 
age  than  now,  but  one  alone  breaking  through  the  custom 
in  that  respect  made  and  provided,  must  not  expect  to 
escape  the  usual  fate,  or  at  least  the  usual  annoyances, 
of  innovators. 

I  have  enjoyed  my  visit  here  very  much,  and  though  I 
have  not  sought  them,  have  made  one  or  two  very  pleas 
ant  acquaintances,  or  improved  them.  I  have  been  very 
little  out,  and  passed  my  time  almost  entirely  with  Colo 
nel  Lawrence  and  his  family,  i.  e.,  his  brother  and  the 
two  sisters-in-law.  Things  are  not  looking  well  on  the 
frontier.  Cashmere  and  the  hill  country  wont  submit  to 
Gliolab  Singh,  to  whom  we  gave  them  over,  and  have 
been  thrashing  his  troops  and  killing  his  ministers  ;  and  I 
expect  October  will  see  an  army  assembled  to  frighten 
them  into  submission,  or  interfere  with  a  strong  arm,  as 
the  case  may  be. 

We  seem  bound  to  see  him  established  on  the  throne 
we  carved  out  for  him,  and  it  is  our  only  chance  of  keep 
ing  peace  and  order ;  though  at  the  best  he  is  such  a 
villain,  and  so  detested,  that  I  imagine  it  will  be  but  a 
sorry  state  of  quietness  :  — 

The  torrent's  smoothness  ere  it  dash  below. 

In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  written  during  this  visit, 
Sir  H.  Lawrence  says  :  — 

Sept.  1st.  — "  I  brought  up  with  me  from  Su- 
bathoo  a  fine  young  fellow,  by  name  Hodson,  son 
of  the  Archdeacon  of  Stafford.  He  is  now  (10 
p.  M.)  sleeping  in  my  little  office-room,  where  I 


COLONEL   LAWRENCE.  87 

am  writing.  Thomason  recommended  him  to 
me,  and  I  have  seldom  met  so  promising  a  young 
fellow.  He  left  the  native  branch  of  the  army 
at  the  expense  of  some  steps,  because  he  did  not 
like  the  conduct  of  the  Sepoys.  He  was  for  four 
years  with  Dr.  Arnold,  and  two  in  the  sixth  form 
under  his  eye.  He  speaks  most  affectionately  of 
him.  I  will  try  to  get  leave  for  him  for  a  month 
to  accompany  me  to  Lahore  and  Jummoo  in  Oc 
tober I  get  a  good  deal  of  help  from  Hod- 
son,  who  works  willingly  and  sensibly.  Perhaps 
you  may  meet  the  family  at  Lichfield." 

LAHORE,  October  l±th,  1846. 

As  I  hoped  when  I  wrote  last,  I  am  again  writing 
from  the  capital  of  the  "  Singhs,"  but,  alas  for  the  "  lions," 
their  tails  are  very  much  down  in  the  world  since  this 
time  last  year,  when  the  "  fierce  and  formidable  army  " 
assembled  to  invade  our  tempting  provinces.  Nearly 
half  the  garrison  has  marched  across  the  Ravee,  and 
not  more  than  5,000  or  6,000  British  troops  now  hold  the 
far-famed  capital  of  Runjeet  Singh. 

You  must  not  be  alarmed  by  the  accounts  you  will  see 
in  the  papers  by  this  mail  of  the  advance  of  two  forces 
from  Lahore  and  Jullunder  towards  Jummoo.  They  are 
not  to  take  any  active  part  in  the  operations  of  Gholab 
Singh  for  the  recovery  of  Cashmere  from  the  rebellious 
Sheikh  Imaumoodeen ;  our  troops  are  to  hold  the  Ma 
haraja's  country  for  him  while  he  advances  with  his 
whole  disposable  force,  augmented  by  a  Sikh  auxiliary 
army. 

It  is   probable  that  the   Sheikh  will  give  in  without 


88  JOURNEY  TO  CASHMERE. 

fighting  as  soon  as  he  hears  the  preparations  made  by 
both  powers  for  his  coercion.  Indeed,  a  letter  has  arrived 
from  Cashmere  to  say  he  has  given  in ;  but  he  is  a  wily 
fellow,  and  I  mightily  distrust  him.  I  only  know  if  / 
was  in  Cashmere  with  my  army  at  my  back,  /  would  not 
give  in  as  long  as  a  man  was  left  to  pull  a  trigger  !  The 
Agent  (Colonel  Lawrence)  and  I  start  to-morrow  evening, 
going  seventy  miles  the  first  day,  and  hope  to  reach 
Bhimbur,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  on  the  17th,  thence  to 
go  up  and  join  the  Maharaja,  and  accompany  his  army  to 
Cashmere.  If  he  fights  we  shall  see  the  fun ;  if  not,  we 
are  to  accompany  him  and  keep  him  from  excesses  and 
injustice  in  the  valley,  and  return  here,  I  fancy,  in  about 
a  month  or  six  weeks.  Of  course,  in  event  of  the  two 
armies  coming  to  blows,  it  will  probably  be  some  time 
longer  ere  we  return.  I  am  delighted  at  the  thoughts  of 
seeing  Cashmere,  and  am  gaining  great  advantage  from 
being  with  these  "  politicals  "  in  the  way  of  learning  the 
languages,  and  method  of  governing  the  natives.  I  have 
been  hard  at  work  day  and  night  for  some  time  now, 
writing  for  Colonel  Lawrence.  I  left  Subathoo  on  the 
1st,  and  after  a  ride  of  some  twrenty  miles  through  the 
hills,  joined  Colonel  Lawrence  and  Mr.  Christian,  and 
after  a  shake-down  in  a  little  mud  bungalow,  and  an 
amusing  dinner,  (served  up  in  two  brass  basins,  standing 
on  a  bed,)  and  a  breakfast  to  match,  we  rode  down  to 
Roopur,  on  the  Sutlej.  Here  we  took  boat,  and  floated 
down  the  river  to  Ferozepoor,  and  came  across  to  La 
hore  during  the  night  in  a  capital  barouche  belonging 
to  the  Ranee,  with  relays  of  horses  and  an  escort  of 
cavalry. 


CASHMERE.  89 


THANNA,  AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  PASS  INTO  CASHMERE, 
Oct.  26/A,  1846. 

Our  tent  is  pitched  on  the  top  of  a  little  spur  from  the 
mountain  side,  and  beneath  us  lie,  in  quaint  picturesque 
confusion,  scattered  over  the  valley  and  the  little  staircase- 
like  rice-fields,  the  mingled  hosts  of  Lahore  and  Juminoo. 
The  spare  stalwart  Sikh,  with  his  grizzled  beard  and  blue 
turban  of  the  scantest  dimensions,  side  by  side  with  the 
huge-limbed  Affghan,  with  voluminous  headgear  and 
many-colored  garments.  The  proud  Brahmin  in  the 
same  ranks  with  the  fierce  "  Children  of  the  Faithful ; " 
the  little  active  Hillman  ;  the  diminutive,  sturdy,  platter- 
faced  Ghoorka,  and  the  slight-made  Hindostanee,  col 
lected  in  the  same  tents,  and  all  alike  clothed  in  a  carica 
ture  of  the  British  uniform.  I  have  been  very  much 
interested  and  amused  by  this  march  with  a  native  army, 
so  different  from  our  own  proceedings  and  our  own  mili 
tary  power,  —  albeit  the  British  army  will  soon  be  as 
varied  in  its  composition. 

I  have  seen  a  great  deal  of  the  native  Sirdars  or  chiefs, 
especially  Tej  Singh  who  commanded  the  Sikh  forces 
in  the  war,  and  of  the  Maharaja.  The  former  a  small, 
spare  little  man,  marked  with  the  smallpox,  and  with  a 
thin  and  scanty  beard,  but  sharp  and  intelligent,  and  by 
his  own  account  a  hero.  The  Maharaja  is  a  fine,  tall, 
portly  man,  with  a  splendid  expressive  face,  and  most 
gentlemanly,  pleasing  manner,  and  fine-toned  voice,  —  al 
together  the  most  pleasing  Asiatic  I  have  seen,  —  to  all 
appearance  the  gentlest  of  the  gentle,  and  the  most  sin 
cere  and  truthful  character  in  the  world ;  and  in  his 
habits  he  is  certainly  exemplary  ;  but  he  is  the  cleverest 
hypocrite  in  the  world  ;  as  sharp  and  acute  as  possible, 


90  CASHMERE. 

devoured  by  avarice  and  ambition,  and  when  roused,  hor 
ribly  cruel.  This  latter  accusation  he  rebuts,  by  alleging 
the  necessity  of  the  case  and  the  ferocity  of  those  he  has 
to  deal  with.  To  us,  however,  his  fondness  for  flaying 
men  alive,  cutting  off  their  noses  and  ears  and  hands,  &c., 
savors  rather  of  the  inexcusable.  He  was  accused  of 
having  flayed  12,000  men,  which  he  indignantly  asserted 
was  a  monstrous  calumny,  as  he  only  skinned  three  ; 
afterwards  he  confessed  to  three  hundred!  Yet  he  is  not 
a  bit  worse,  and  in  many  ways  infinitely  better,  than  most 
native  princes.  Lawrence  doubts  whether  one  could  be 
found  with  fewer  faults,  if  placed  in  similar  circumstances. 
Avitabile,  to  the  disgrace  of  his  European  blood,  was  far 
more  cruel.  The  stories  current  in  the  Punjaub  of  his 
abominations  are  horrible.  The  costumes  of  these  chiefs 
would  delight  you :  they  never  make  a  mistake  in  col 
ors,  and  the  effect  is  always  good,  however  bright  they 
may  be.  This  force  is  (as  I  told  you)  moving  up  to  turn 
the  Sheikh  Imaumoodeen,  the  rebellious  vassal  of  the 
Lahore  Government,  out  of  Cashmere,  in  virtue  of  the 
treaty  ceding  it  to  Gholab  Singh.  Up  to  yesterday,  I 
expected  it  would  be  a  fight,  but  yesterday  the  Sheikh 
sent  letters  to  say  he  was  sorry  and  repentful,  and  was  on 
his  way  to  tender  his  submission.  So  we  wait  here  to 
receive  him.  This  will  not,  however,  prevent  my  visit  to 
the  valley,  as  Colonel  Lawrence  intends  to  accompany 
the  Maharaja  to  pacify  and  take  possession. 

It  is  very  cold  here,  though  not  much  above  5,000  feet 
above  the  sea. 


CASHMERE.  91 

To  his  Father. 
SHUPYEN,  IN  CASHMERE,  Nov.  6th,  1846. 

I  write  a  hurried  line  to  announce  my  safe  arrival  in 
the  valley.  On  the  1st  instant  we  got  hold  of  the  rebel 
lious  Sheikh,  and  sent  him  down  to  the  plains  ;  and  yes 
terday.  Colonel  Lawrence,  Captain  Browne,  and  myself, 
rode  into  the  valley,  amid  the  acclamations  of  an  admir 
ing  population  —  of  beggars  !  I  am  writing  at  sunrise  in 
a  little  tent,  and  in  spite  of  two  coats  and  waistcoats,  I  am 
nearly  "  friz."  We  crossed  the  Pir  Punjal  Pass  on  the 
4th,  12,000  feet  above  the  sea,  with  snow  all  around  us, 
and  slept  on  this  side  in  an  old  serai ;  I  say  slept,  because 
we  went  to  bed  ;  but  sleeping  was  out  of  the  question, 
from  the  cold  and  uproar  of  all  our  followers  and  their 
horses,  crowded  into  a  court-yard  thirty  feet  square,  horses 
and  men  quarrelling  and  yelling  all  night  long.  The 
view  from  the  top  of  the  Pass  was  very  fine,  but  the 
wind  far  too  high  to  take  more  than  a  peep  of  it  without 
losing  one's  eyes  ;  but  the  road  from  Thanna  to  the  sum 
mit  was  most  lovely  the  whole  way,  winding  up  a  glen 
wooded  magnificently,  and  the  rocks  towering  above  us  on 
all  sides  ;  the  trees  were  all  in  their  varied  autumn  dress, 
surmounted  by  forests  of  pine ;  altogether,  I  never  saw 
so  grand  a  scene.  As  the  Sheikh's  submission  has  cut 
the  Gordian  knot  of  politics  here,  we  shall  only  stay  a 
few  days  to  see  the  valley,  and  install  the  Maharaja,  (who 
is  following  us  with  his  force  by  slow  stages,)  and  then 
rush  back  to  Lahore  and  Subathoo. 

This  is  said  to  be  the  largest  town  but  three  in  the  val 
ley.  It  is  a  poverty-stricken,  scattered  hamlet  of  mud 
houses  with  wooden  roofs,  the  upper  half  being  generally 
rough  open  lattice-work  or  railing,  with  alternate  supports 


92  CASHMERE. 

of  unbaked  bricks  ;  low  mud  inclosures,  and  open  waste 
spaces  between,  dedicated  to  dogs  and  dunghills.  The 
whole  is  thickly  grown  over  with  tine  apple  and  walnut 
trees,  the  staple  fruits  (with  the  grape)  of  the  valley,  and 
the  food  of  the  people.  They  are  a  poor  wretched  set, 
only  good  for  beasts  of  burden,  —  and  certainly  they  can 
carry  a  vast  load,  —  their  dress,  both  men  and  women, 
being  a  loose,  wide-sleeved  smock-frock  of  dirty  sackcloth- 
looking  woollen.  The  men  wear  a  dirty  skullcap  on 
their  shaven  "  nobs,"  and  the  women  a  crimson  machine, 
like  a  flower-pot  saucer  inverted,  from  which  depends  a 
veil  or  cloth  of  the  same  texture  as  the  frock  ;  legs  and 
feet  clothed  in  their  native  dirt.  The  women  are  atro 
ciously  ugly,  and  screech  like  the  witches  in  Macbeth,  — 
so  much  so,  that  when  the  Agent  asked  me  to  give  them 
a  rupee  or  two,  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  refuse,  firmly  but 
respectfully,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  be  encouraging 
ugliness !  I  fancy  the  climate  and  the  soil  are  unrivalled, 
but  years  of  poverty  and  oppression  have  reduced  to  a 
nation  of  beggars  what  ought  to  be  a  Paradise.  We  go 
hence  after  breakfast  to  Islumabad,  at  the  eastern  end  of 
the  valley  ;  and  spend  a  day  or  two  in  looking  about  us, 
and  floating  down  the  river  to  Cashmere  itself,  by  which 
time  our  "  prince  "  will  have  arrived.  I  am  the  luckiest 
dog  unhung  to  have  actually  got  into  Cashmere.  I  fancy 
I  am  the  first  officer  of  our  army  who  has  been  here,  save 
the  few  who  have  come  officially.  These  delightful  breezes 
are  most  invigorating.  I  only  wish  you  could  all  enjoy 
these  travels  with  me.  I  expect  to  be  back  at  Subathoo 
by  the  1st  of  December. 

In  a  letter  to  my  father  about  this  time,  Mr. 
Thomason  says :  — 


LAWRENCE   ASYLUM.  03 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  observe  that  such  an  inti 
macy  has  sprung  up  between  Colonel  Lawrence 
and  your  William.  He  could  not  be  under  better 
direction. 

"  Colonel  Lawrence  has  evidently  taken  him 
entirely  into  his  confidence,  which  cannot  but  be 
of  the  greatest  use  to  him  in  his  future  career. 
He  will  have  opportunities  of  observation  and 
instruction  now,  which  very  few  possess  after  a 
long  period  of  service.  To  be  selected,  too,  as 
his  confidant  by  a  man  of  Colonel  Lawrence's 
stamp,  is  no  small  feather  in  the  cap  of  any 
young  man.  He  stands  deservedly  high  also  in 
the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him  ;  and  if  it 
please  God  to  spare  his  life  and  give  him  health, 
his  prospects  are  as  good  as  any  man's  can  be  in 
this  country." 

Colonel  Lawrence  having  discovered  that  my 
brother  could  work,  was  by  no  means  disposed  to 
let  him  remain  without  full  occupation,  as  his 
next  letter  will  show :  — 

SUBATHOO,  April  1st,  1847. 

I  am  wonderfully  well  and  flourishing,  and  have  lots  to 
do.  Lawrence  has  made  me  undertake  the  secretaryship 
of  the  new  Asylum  for  European  Children,  building  some 
ten  miles  hence,  which  will  give  me  volumes  of  corre 
spondence,  and  leagues,  nay  latitudes  of  riding.  Never 
theless,  it  is  well,  and  .it  is  a  good  work.  The  responsi 
bility  will  be  great,  as  a  committee  of  management,  on  an 
average  three  hundred  miles  apart,  are  rather  nominal  in 
their  supervision  of  things. 


94  LAWRENCE    ASYLUM. 

SUBATHOO,  April  1st,  1847. 

If  my  locomotive  instinct  has  been  brought  into  play 
in  India,  as  you  suggest,  my  constructive  organs  are  likely 
to  have  their  share  of  exercise.  I  have  the  entire  direc 
tion  and  arrangement  of  the  new  Hill  Asylum  on  my 
hands  just  now.  It  is  seven  miles  hence,  of  mountain 
roads,  and  what  with  going  and  coming,  planning,  in 
structing,  and  supervising,  my  time  is  pretty  well  occu 
pied,  to  say  nothing  of  my  regiment,  and  private  affairs. 
Building  a  house  in  India  is  a  different  affair  from  one's 
previous  experiences.  You  begin  from  the  forest  and 
the  quarry,  have  to  get  lime  burnt,  trees  cut  down,  bricks 
made,  planks  sawn  up,  the  ground  got  ready,  and  then 
watch  the  work  foot  by  foot,  —  showing  this  "  nigger  " 
how  to  lay  his  bricks,  another  the  proper  proportions  of  a 
beam,  another  the  construction  of  a  door,  and  to  the  sev 
eral  artisans  the  mysteries  of  a  screw,  a  nail,  and  a  hinge. 
You  cannot  say  to  a  man,  "  Make  me  a  wall  or  a  door," 
but  you  must  with  your  own  hands  measure  out  his  work, 
teach  him  to  saw  away  here,  to  plane  there,  or  drive  such 
a  nail,  or  insinuate  such  another  suspicion  of  glue.  And 
when  it  comes  to  be  considered  that  this  is  altogether  new 
work  to  me,  and  has  to  be  excuded  by  cogitation  on  the 
spot,  so  as  to  give  an  answer  to  every  inquirer,  you  may 
understand  the  amount  of  personal  exertion  and  attention 
required  for  the  work. 

I  have  the  sole  direction  and  control  of  nearly  four 
hundred  and  fifty  workmen,  including  paying  them,  keep 
ing  accounts,  drawing  plans,  and  everything.  I  have  to 
get  earth  dug  for  bricks,  see  the  moulds  made  and  watch 
the  progress  of  them  till  the  kiln  is  full,  get  wood  for  the 
kiln,  and  direct  the  lighting  of  the  same,  and  finally  pro- 


LAWRENCE    ASYLUM.  90 

vide  a  goat  to  sacrifice  to  the  demon  who  is  supposed  to 
turn  the  bricks  red  !  Then  I  must  get  bamboos  and 
grass  cut  for  thatching,  and  string  made  for  the  purpose  ; 
send  about  the  hills  for  sand  for  mortar,  and  limestone  to 
burn,  see  it  mixed  and  prepared,  and  then  show  the  nig 
gers  how  to  use  it.  Then  the  whole  of  the  wood-work  must 
be  set  out  and  made  under  one's  own  eye,  and  a  lump  of 
iron  brought  from  the  mine  to  be  wrought  (also  under 
one's  direction)  into  nails  and  screws,  before  a  single  door 
can  be  set  up  ;  and  when  to  all  this  is  added  the  difficulty 
of  getting  hands  (I  mean  in  the  hills),  and  the  bother  of 
watching  the  idlest  and  most  cunning  race  on  earth,  you 
may  suppose  my  "  unpaid  magistracy  "  is  no  sinecure.  I 
am  not  exaggerating  or  indeed  telling  half  the  difficulty, 
for  fear  you  should  think  the  whole  a  romance.  You  will 
naturally  ask  how  I  learnt  all  these  trades.  I  can  only 
say  that  you  can't  be  more  astonished  than  I  am  myself, 
and  can  only  satisfy  you  by  the  theory  that  "  necessity  is 
the  mother  of  invention."  I  am  seldom  able  to  sit  down 
from  sunrise  to  sunset,  when  I  get  a  hasty  dinner,  and 
am  then  only  too  glad  to  sleep  off  the  effects  of  the  day. 
How  I  have  escaped  fever  during  the  last  month  I  cannot 
think,  as  it  has  been  terribly  hot  in  the  sun,  even  in  the 
hills,  and  I  have  lived  in  the  blaze  of  it  pretty  constantly. 
Colonel  Lawrence  seems  determined  I  shall  have  noth 
ing  to  stop  me,  for  his  invariable  reply  to  every  question 
is,  "Act  on  your  own  judgment;"  "Do  what  you  think 
right ; "  "I  give  you  carte  blanche  to  act  in  my  name,  and 
draw  on  my  funds,"  and  so  forth. 

Are  you  aware  of  the  nature  of  the  institution  ?  It 
was  started,  in  idea,  by  Colonel  Lawrence  some  two  or 
three  years  ago,  and  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  for  a 
commencement  having  been  raised,  he  charged  me  with 


96  LAWRENCE   ASYLUM. 

the  erection  of  the  necessary  buildings,  and  the  organiza 
tion  and  setting  in  motion  of  the  great  machine  which  is 
to  regenerate  and  save  from  moral  and  physical  degrada 
tion,  sickness,  and  death,  the  children  of  the  British 
soldiers  serving  in  India.  The  object  is  to  teach  them 
all  things  useful,  while  you  give  them  the  advantage  of 
a  healthy  climate,  removed  from  the  evil  influence  of  a 
barrack-room.  The  children  are  to  remain  in  the  Asy 
lum  until  their  parents  return  to  England,  or  till  old 
enough  to  join  the  ranks,  or  be  otherwise  provided  for. 

Another  drag  upon  my  hands  is  the  care  of  a  small 
European  boy,  who  was  lately  found  up  in  Cabul,  and  is 
supposed  to  be  the  son  of  some  soldier  of  the  destroyed 
army.  He  has  been  brought  up  as  a  Mussulman,  and 
made  to  believe  his  father  was  such,  and  is  a  very  bigot. 
Colonel  Lawrence  sent  him  to  me  from  Lahore,  but  forgot 
to  write  about  him,  so  I  know  no  more  of  him  than  I  have 
seen  in  the  newspapers,  and  have  no  idea  what  to  do  with 
him,  or  where  he  is  to  go.  He  is  rather  a  nuisance,  and 
I  shall  be  glad  when  he  goes,  as  there  is  little  but  his  odd 
fate  to  interest  one  in  him  ;  and  I  have  considerable 
doubts  as  to  his  genuine  origin.  He  is  more  like  a  half- 
caste  than  an  "  European."  Our  communication  is  brief, 
as  he  speaks  but  little  Hindostanee,  and  I  less  Persian. 
The  Asylum  is  a  much  more  interesting  occupation,  as, 
independently  of  its  object,  there  is  a  pleasure  in  covering 
a  fine  mountain  with  buildings  of  one's  own  designing. 

A  few  days  later  he  writes  :  — 

My  last  few  days  at  the  Asylum  were  enlivened  by  the 
arrival  of  Mrs.  George  Lawrence,  whose  tent  was  pitched 
close  to  mine,  on  the  hill-top.  She  is  a  great  acquisition 
in  a  forest  life,  and  a  very  nice  person,  —  the  wife  of  the 


LAWRENCE   ASYLUM.  97 

Captain  Lawrence  who  was  one  of  the  Cabul  prisoners. 
She  is  to  be  superintendress  until  the  arrival  of  the 
future  man  from  England.  I  have  fourteen  little  girls  to 
take  care  of,  by  the  same  token,  and  listen  to  the  grum 
blings  of  their  nurses.  In  short,  I  don't  know  myself, 
and  that  is  the  long  and  short  of  it.  I  am  going  to  Simla 
for  a  clay  or  two,  to  see  Mr.  Thomason. 

And  again,  to  his  brother  :  — 

The  state  of  things  is  so  provokingly  quiet  and  placid, 
that  there  seems  but  small  chance  of  our  being  called  upon 
for  another  rush  across  country  (called  a  "  forced  march  "), 
like  the  one  of  December,  1845  ;  and  one  is  obliged 
to  take  to  anything  that  offers,  to  avoid  the  "tedium 
vitog "  which  the  want  of  employment  engenders  in  this 
"  lovely  country,"  in  those,  at  least,  who  have  not  learnt 
to  exist  in  the  philosophical  medium  of  brandy  and 
cheroots.  Did  I  tell  you,  by-the-bye,  that  I  abjured 
tobacco  when  I  left  England,  and  that  I  have  never 
been  tempted,  by  even  a  night  "al  fresco,"  to  resume  the 
delusive  habit  ?  Nor  have  I  told  you  (because  I  de 
spaired  of  your  believing  it)  that  I  have  declined  from 
the  paths  of  virtue  in  respect  to  beer  also,  these  two  years 
past,  seldom  or  never  even  tasting  that  once  idolized 
stimulant ! !  It  has  not  been  caused  alone  by  a  love  of 
eccentricity,  but  by  the  very  sensitive  state  of  my  inner 
man,  (achieved  in  India,)  which  obliges  me  to  live  by 
rule.  This  is  all  very  edifying,  no  doubt,  to  you  ;  to  me 
it  is  especially  so,  for  I  believe  if  I  get  on  well  in  India, 
it  will  be  owing,  physically  speaking,  to  my  digestion. 


98  LAWRENCE   ASYLUM. 


SUBATHOO,  June  18iA,  1847. 

I  am  getting  on  famously  at  the  Asylum  just  now,  and 
have  succeeded  in  getting  the  children  under  cover  before 
the  rains.  I  have  narrowly  escaped  a  bad  fever  through 
overwork  in  the  sun,  but,  by  taking  it  in  time,  I  got  right 
again.  The  weather  has  since  taken  a  turn,  and  become 
much  cooler,  besides  which  my  principal  anxiety  is  over 
for  the  season.  I  have  certainly  had  a  benefit  of  work, 
both  civil  and  literary,  for  the  Institution,  and  since 
Colonel  Lawrence  put  an  advertisement  in  the  papers, 
desiring  all  anxious  persons  to  apply  to  me,  I  have  had 
enough  on  my  hands.  It  is  all  very  well,  but  interferes 
with  my  reading  no  little  ;  and  I  am  sure  to  get  more 
kicks  than  thanks  for  my  pains  from  an  ungrateful  and 
undiscerning  public.  However,  as  long  as  Colonel  Law 
rence  leaves  everything  so  completely  in  my  hands,  and 
trusts  so  implicitly  to  my  skill  and  honesty,  it  would  be  a 
shame  not  to  work  "  un-\ike  a  nigger." 

It  is  intended  that  the  children  should  remain  in  the 
Institution  until  they  are  eighteen  years  of  age,  if  their 
fathers  be  alive,  and  until  somehow  or  other  provided  for, 
should  they  be  orphans.  The  majority  of  the  boys  will, 
of  course,  become  soldiers  ;  but  my  belief  is,  that  having 
been  brought  up  in  the  delightful  climate  of  the  Hima 
laya,  they  will,  after  ten  or  fifteen  years,  settle  down  in 
the  various  stations  and  slightly  elevated  valleys  in  these 
hills,  as  traders  and  cultivators,  and  form  the  nucleus  of 
the  first  British  colony  in  India.  My  object  is  to  give 
them  English  habits  from  the  first,  which  they  have  in 
most  cases  to  learn,  from  being  brought  up  by  native 
nurses  from  infancy.  Part  of  the  scheme  is  to  make  the 
Institution  support  itself,  and  I  am  very  shortly  going  to 


NEW   APPOINTMENT.  99 

start  a  farm-yard.  I  have  already  got  a  fine  large  garden 
in  full  swing  ;  and  here  you  may  see  French  beans,  cab 
bages,  strawberry  plants,  and  fine  potatoes  (free  from 
disease).  I  steadfastly  refuse  the  slightest  dash  of  color 
in  admitting  children.  People  may  call  this  illiberal,  if 
they  please  ;  the  answer  is  obvious.  Half-castes  stand 
the  climate  of  the  plains  too  well  to  need  a  hill  sanito- 
riuin,  and  by  mixing  them  with  English  children  you 
corrupt  those  whom  you  wish  to  benefit.  The  little  boy 
who  was  lately  redeemed  from  Cabul,  and  whom  Colonel 
Lawrence  consigned  to  my  care,  is  the  plague  of  my 
existence.  He  has  the  thoroughly  lying,  deceitful  habits, 
and  all  the  dirt,  of  the  Affghan  races,  and  not  a  single 
point  of  interest  to  counterbalance  them. 


SUBATHOO,  August,  1847. 

I  have  some  hopes,  though  but  faint  ones,  of  being 
relieved  from  the  necessity  of  a  move  to  Cawnpore, 
[whither  his  regiment  had  been  ordered,]  by  obtaining 
a  berth  under  Colonel  Lawrence.  I  know  that  he  has 
asked  for  me,  and,  I  believe,  for  an  appointment  which 
would  please  me  more  than  any  other  he  could  find,  as 
being  one  of  the  most  confidential  nature,  and  involving 
constant  locomotion,  and  plenty  of  work  both  for  head, 
nerve,  and  body.  But  I  must  not  be  sanguine,  as  we 
have  already  a  large  proportion  of  officers  away  from 
the  regiment,  and  I  am  a  young  soldier,  though,  alas  ! 
growing  grievously  old  in  years. 

The  appointment  alluded  to  was  to  the 
"  Corps  of  Guides,"  then  recently  organized  by 


100  LETTER   FROM   COL.   LAWRENCE. 

Colonel  Lawrence  for  service  in  the  Punjaub. 
While  this  question,  however,  was  still  pending, 
there  seemed  a  prospect  of  Lieut.  Hodson's  suc 
ceeding  to  the  adjutancy  of  his  regiment,  and 
Colonel  Lawrence,  as  will  be  seen  from  the 
subjoined  letter,  recommended  his  accepting  it, 
if  offered :  — 

"  SIMLA,  Sept.  llth. 

"My  DEAII  HODSON,  —  I  have  spoken  to  the  Gov 
ernor-General  about  you,  who  at  once  replied,  '  Let  him 
take  the  adjutancy.'  He  wishes  you  well,  but  is  puzzled 
by  the  absentee  question.  We  are  all,  moreover,  agreed 
on  the  usefulness  to  yourself  of  being  employed  for  a 
time  as  adjutant  to  a  regiment.  There  are  always  slips, 
but  I  know  of  no  man  of  double  or  treble  your  standing 
who  has  so  good  a  prospect  before  him.  Favor  and  par 
tiality  do  occasionally  give  a  man  a  lift,  but  depend  upon 
it  that  his  is  the  best  chance  in  the  long  run  who  helps 
himself.  So  far  you  have  done  this  manfully,  and  you 
have  reason  to  be  proud  of  being  selected  at  one  time 
for  three  different  appointments  by  three  different  men.* 
Don't  however,  be  too  proud.  Learn  your  duties  thor 
oughly.  Continue  to  study  two  or  three  hours  a  day; 
not  to  pass  in  a  hurry,  but  that  you  may  do  so  two 
or  three  years  hence  with  eclat.  Take  advantage  of 
Becher's  being  at  Kussowlee  to  learn  something  of  sur 
veying.  All  knowledge  is  useful ;  but  to  a  soldier,  or 
official  of  any  sort  in  India,  I  know  no  branch  of  knowl 
edge  which  so  well  repays  the  student. 

*  At  this  very  juncture,  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  arnrp  had 
also  applied  for  Lieut.  Hodson. 


GUIDE   COKPS.  101 

"  In  Oriental  phrase,  pray  consider  that  much  is  said  in 
this  hurried  scrawl,  and  believe  that  I  shall  watch  your 
career  with  warm  interest. 

"  I  am,  very  sincerely  yours, 

"  H.  M.  LAWRENCE." 

The  expected  vacancy,  however,  did  not  occur, 
and  Colonel  Lawrence  accordingly  renewed  his 
application  for  my  brother's  services  in  the  Pun- 
jaub,  and,  as  will  be  seen,  with  success.  In  the 
beginning  of  October  he  writes  :  — 

I  have  every  reason  to  expect  that  before  many  days 
I  shall  be  gazetted  as  attached  to  the  Guide  Corps.  The 
immediate  result  of  my  appointment  will  be  a  speedy 
departure  to  Lahore  with  Colonel  Lawrence,  who  returns 
there  to  arrange  matters  before  going  home. 

And  on  the  16th:  — 

You  will,  I  am  sure,  rejoice  with  me  at  my  unprece 
dented  good  fortune  in  being  appointed  to  a  responsible 
and  honorable  post,  almost  before,  by  the  rules  of  the 
service,  I  am  entitled  to  take  charge  of  a  company  of 
Sepoys.  I  shall  even  be  better  off  than  I  thought; 
instead  of  merely  "  doing  duty "  with  the  Guide  Corps, 
I  am  to  be  the  second  in  command. 

The  next  chapter  will  show  how  well  Lieut. 
Hodson  justified  Colonel  Lawrence's  selection  of 
him  for  so  responsible  a  command,  one  which  the 
course  of  events  made  far  more  important  than 


102  GUIDE   CORPS. 

could  then  have  been  foreseen.  It  was  in  this 
that  he  laid  the  foundations  of  his  reputation  as 
an  "  unequalled  partisan  leader,"  and  acquired  his 
experience  of  the  Sikhs,  and  extraordinary  influ 
ence  over  them. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

EMPLOYMENT  IN  THE  PUNJAUB  AS  SECOND  IN  COM 
MAND  OF  THE  CORPS  OF  GUIDES,  AND  ALSO  AS 
ASSISTANT  TO  THE  RESIDENT  AT  LAHORE. 

From  October,  1847,  during  the  Campaign  of  1848-9,  to 
the  Annexation  of  the  Punjaub  in  March,  1849. 

CAMP,  KUSSOOR,  Nov.  15tfi,  1847. 

I  ALMOST  forget  the  many  events  that  have  happened 
since  I  wrote  last.  I  believe  I  was  "  at  home  "  in  my 
snug  little  cottage  in  Subathoo,  and  now  I  am  in  a  high 
queer-looking  native  house  among  the  ruins  of  this  old 
stronghold  of  the  Pathans ;  with  orders  "  to  make  a  good 
road  from  Lahore  to  the  Sutlej,  distance  forty  miles,"  in 
as  brief  a  space  as  possible.  On  the  willing-to-be-gener- 
ally-useful  principle  this  is  all  very  well,  and  one  gets 
used  to  turning  one's  hand  to  everything,  but  certainly 
(but  for  "  circumstances  over  which  I  had  no  control  ")  I 
always  labored  under  the  impression  that  I  knew  noth 
ing  at  all  about  the  matter.  However,  Colonel  Lawrence 
walked  into  my  room  promiscuously  one  morning,  and 
said,  "  Oh,  Hodson,  we  have  agreed  that  you  must  take 
in  hand  the  road  to  Ferozepoor,  —  you  can  start  in  a  day 
or  two ; "  and  here  I  am.  Well,  I  have  galloped  across 
the  country  hither  and  thither,  and  peered  into  distances 
with  telescopes,  and  inquired  curiously  into  abstruse  (and 


104  PUNJAUB. 

obtuse)  angles,  rattled  Gunter's  chains,  and  consulted 
compasses  and  theodolites,  till  I  have  an  idea  of  a  road 
that  will  astonish  the  natives  not  a  little.  Last  night  I 
was  up  half  the  night,  looking  out  for  fires  which  I  had 
ordered  to  be  lighted  in  sundry  places  along  the  line  of 
the  Sutlej  at  a  fixed  hour,  that  I  might  find  the  nearest 
point.  This  morning,  I  had  a  grand  assembly  of  village 
"  punches,"  to  discuss  with  them  the  propriety  of  furnish 
ing  able-bodied  men  for  the  work.  By  a  little  artful 
persuasion,  I  succeeded  in  raising  700  from  a  small  dis 
trict,  and  am  going  onwards  to  hold  another  such  "  county 
meeting"  to-morrow.  The  mode  and  fashion  that  has 
always  obtained  in  public  works  under  native  govern 
ments,  has  been  to  give  an  order  to  seize  all  the  inhabi 
tants,  and  make  them  work,  —  and  not  pay  them  then. 
These  gentry,  therefore,  have  been  so  bullied  by  their 
Sikh  masters,  that  they  hardly  believe  my  offers  of  ready- 
money  payments.  My  predecessor,  an  artillery  officer, 
who  came  here  on  the  same  errand,  was  turned  off  for 
resorting  to  violent  measures  in  his  anxiety  to  get  hold 
of  workmen,  having  hung  some  of  the  head  men  up  by 
the  heels  to  trees  till  they  were  convinced.  He  got  no 
good  (nor  hands  either)  by  his  dodge.  So  I  was  sent 
here  on  the  other  persuasion,  and  you  will  be  glad  to 
hear,  for  the  credit  of  the  family,  that  I  am  gammoning 
the  dear  old  punches  most  deliciously.  They'd  give  me 
anything,  bless  their  innocent  hearts  !  when  I  get  under 
the  village  tree  with  them,  or  by  the  village  well,  and 
discourse  eloquently  on  the  blessing  to  society  of  having 
destroyed  the  Sikhs,  and  on  the  lightness  of  their  land- 
tax.  I  hope  to  be  relieved  in  a  month,  and  go  up  to 
Peshawur  to  join  "  the  Guides,"  for  this  is  cruelly  hard 
work,  and  I  have  had  enough  for  one  year  of  native 


ROAD-MAKING.  105 

work-people.  Besides,  I  am  not  strong  yet,  and  have  a 
horrid  cold.  I  would  give  anything  to  be  able  to  sit 
down  and  read  a  book  quietly,  a  luxury  I  have  not  en 
joyed  for  many  a  long  day.  Colonel  Lawrence  starts  for 
England  on  the  30th  for  two  years.  I  hope  you  will 
contrive  to  see  him,  and  make  his  acquaintance.  Sir  F. 
Currie  is  to  be  his  successor  during  his  absence. 

December  1st. 

I  have  been  at  Lahore  to  receive  Colonel  Lawrence's 
parting  instructions,  and  say  good-bye  to  him,  poor  fellow. 
He  is  a  genuinely  kind-hearted  mortal,  and  has  been  a 
brother  to  me  ever  since  I  knew  him.  I  hope  to  see  him 
back  in  two  years,  invigorated  and  renewed,  to  carry  out 
the  good  work  which  he  has  so  nobly  begun. 


To  his  Sister. 

CAMP,  KUSSOOF,  Dec.  15th,  1847. 

Your  letter  met  me  on  my  road  two  days  ago,  and 
emerged  from  the  folds  of  a  Sikh  horseman's  turban,  to 
my  great  delight.  I  got  off  my  horse,  and  walked  along, 
driving  him  before  me  till  I  had  read  the  packet.  You 
must  not  conclude,  because  I  am  writing  to  you  a  second 
time  from  this  place,  that  I  have  been  here  ever  since  I 
first  commenced  operations  in  these  parts.  I  have  been 
twice  to  Lahore,  and  several  times  to  various  intermedi 
ate  and  more  distant  places,  since  then.  In  short,  you 
may  give  up  all  idea  of  being  able  to  imagine  where  I 
may  be  at  any  given  time.  My  work  has  progressed 
considerably.  In  three  weeks  I  have  collected  and  got 
into  working  order  upwards  of  a  thousand  most  unwilling 


106  PUNJAUB. 

laborers,  surveyed  and  marked  out  some  twenty  miles  of 
road  through  a  desert  and  forest,  and  made  a  very  large 
piece  of  it.  I  am  happy  to  say  I  am  to  be  relieved  in  a 
day  or  two,  and  sent  to  survey  another  district.  I  have 
had  one  or  two  visitors  the  last  few  days,  and  therefore 
not  been  so  lonely  as  usual ;  but  my  time  has  been  even 
more  than  ever  occupied.  My  duties  are  nearly  as  vari 
ous  as  there  are  hours  in  the  day  ;  at  one  time  digging 
a  trench,  at  another  time  investigating  breaches  of  the 
peace.  I  am  a  sort  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  general 
purposes,  and  have  to  listen  to  and  inquire  into  complaints, 
and  send  cases  which  I  think  worthy  of  it  for  trial  to 
Lahore.  I  caught  as  neat  a  case  of  robbing  and  murder 
the  other  day  as  ever  graced  Stafford  Assizes ;  to  say 
nothing  of  endless  modes  of  theft,  more  or  less  open,  ac 
cording  to  the  wealth  or  power  of  the  stealer.  This  is 
the  most  remarkable  scene  of  ruin  I  have  met  with  for 
many  a  long  day ;  erst,  a  nest  of  the  abodes  of  wealthy 
Pathan  nobles,  and  now  a  desert  tract,  of  many  miles  in 
extent,  covered  with  ruins,  with  here  and  there  a  dome, 
or  cupola,  or  minaret,  to  mark  what  has  once  been. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  I  have  succeeded  in  obtaining 
a  respite  on  Sundays.  Hitherto,  all  the  works  I  have 
had  in  hand  have  gone  on  the  same  every  day,  and  con 
sequently  one's  annoyance  and  responsibility  continued 
equally  on  Sundays.  This  is  happily  put  an  end  to,  and 
I  shall  have  one  day's  rest  a  week  at  least,  to  say  nothing 
of  higher  considerations.  An  order  on  the  subject  was 
issued  six  months  ago,  but  great  difficulties  were  in  the 
way  of  its  execution. 


SURVEYING.  107 

CAMP,  DEENANUGGDE,  Jan.  15$,  1848. 

Here  I  am  off  again  like  a  steam-engine,  calling  at  a 
series  of  stations,  puffing  and  panting,  hither  and  thither, 
never  resting,  ever  starting  ;  now  in  a  cutting,  now  in  a 
tunnel ;  first  in  a  field,  next  on  a  hill :  thus  passes  day 
after  day,  week  after  week,  a  great  deal  of  work  going 
through  one's  hands,  and  yet  one  can  give  very  little  ac 
count  of  one's  self  at  the  end  of  it.  At  present  I  am  mov 
ing  rapidly  along  the  banks  of  a  small  canal  which  trav 
erses  the  Doab,  between  the  Ravee  and  Beas  rivers,  for 
purposes  of  irrigation  ;  accompanying  Major  Napier.* 
to  whom  the  prosecution  of  all  public  improvements 
throughout  the  Land  of  the  Five  Rivers  belongs.  We 
(the  "  Woods  and  Forests "  of  the  day)  have  nearly 
reached  the  point  where  the  river  debouches  from  the 
hills,  and  have  put  up  for  the  day  in  a  little  garden-house 
of  Runjeet  Singh's,  in  the  midst  of  a  lovely  grove  of 
great  extent,  through  whose  dark-green  boughs  we  have 
a  splendid  panorama  of  the  snowy  range  to  back  our 
horizon.  We  have  great  projects  of  extending  the  canal 
by  various  branches  to  feed  and  fertilize  the  whole  extent 
of  the  Docib,  which  wants  nothing  but  water  to  make  it  a 
garden,  so  fertile  is  the  soil.  We  have  come  along  a 
strip  of  beautiful  country,  richly  cultivated,  lying  along 
the  banks  of  this  life-giving  little  watercourse,  and  the 
weather  is  perfect,  so  I  am  as  happy  as  mere  externals 
can  make  one.  Certainly  we  whose  lot  has  fallen  on  this 
side  of -India,  are  much  to  be  envied.  Here,  all  day 
long,  one  rides  about,  clothed  as  warmly,  and  even  more 
so,  than  in  England  at  this  season,  enjoying  the  bright 
clear  sunshine,  and  never  troubled  with  thinking  of  the 
*  Now  Sir  Robert  Napier,  K.  C.  B. 


108  PUNJAUB. 

sun  ;  whilst  at  Calcutta  they  are  running  into  their  houses 
at  nine  o'clock  to  avoid  the  heat  of  the  day  !  I  imagine 
two  years  in  Calcutta  would  be  more  wearing  than  ten  up 
here ;  by  the  same  token,  I  have  achieved  the  respecta 
ble  weight  of  eleven  stone  ten  pounds,  being  an  increase 
of  seventeen  pounds  since  July.  May  my  shadow  never 
be  less  ! 

I  live  from  the  arrival  of  one  mail  in  expectation  of 
the  next.  I  had  meant  to  have  written  a  long  series  of 
despatches  for  this  opportunity,  and  have  asked  you  to  do 
some  commissions  for  me,  but  I  must  postpone  it  now  to 
another  time,  as  Major  Napier  has  lots  of  work  for 
me.  I  want  a  pair  of  thick  blankets ;  mine  were 
plundered  at  Ferozeshah,  and  I  have  always  mourned 
over  them  since,  when  cold  nights  and  long  marches 
come  together.  In  these  far  countries  it  is  next  to  im 
possible  to  get  anything  decent. 


CAMP,  RAJA  KE  BAGH,  Jan.  29tfj,  1848. 

For  some  days  I  was  staying  in,  and  intend  returning 
again  to,  a  fine  picturesque  old  castle  or  fort  built  by  the 
Emperor  Shahjehan.  Its  lofty  walls,  with  their  turrets 
and  battlements,  inclose  a  quadrangle  of  the  size  of  the 
great  court  of  Trinity,  while  from  the  centre  rises  a  dark 
mass  of  buildings  three  stories  high,  forming  the  keep  ; 
presenting  externally  four  blank  walls  pierced  with  loop 
holes,  but  within,  arches  and  pillars  and  galleries,  with  an 
open  space  in  the  centre,  in  which  they  all  face.  The 
summit  rises  sixty-four  feet,  which,  in  addition  to  the 
great  elevation  of  the  mound  on  which  the  castle  stands, 
gives  a  noble  view  of  mountain,  river,  and  plain,  covered 


SURVEYING.  109 

with  the  finest  timber  and  green  with  young  corn  ;  the 
whole  backed  by  range  on  range,  peak  after  peak,  of  daz 
zling  snow.  Another,  nearly  similar,  lies  about  ten  miles 
to  the  north,  and  I  am  now  "  pitched "  at  the  foot  of  a 
third  to  the  west ;  all  monuments  of  the  taste  and  gran 
deur  of  the  Mogul  Emperors.  That  Goth,  Runjeet  Singh, 
and  his  followers  have  as  much  to  answer  for  in  their  way, 
as  Cromwell  and  his  crop-eared  scoundrels  in  England 
and  Ireland.  They  seem  only  to  have  conquered  to  de 
stroy,  —  every  public  work,  every  castle,  road,  serai,  or 
avenue,  has  been  destroyed ;  the  finest  mosques  turned 
into  powder  magazines  and  stables,  the  gardens  into  can 
tonments,  and  the  fields  into  deserts.  I  had  a  pretty 
specimen  the  other  day  of  the  way  in  which  things  have 
been  managed  here.  I  was  desired  to  examine  into,  and 
report  on,  the  accounts  of  revenue  collected  hitherto  in 
180  villages  along  the  "  Shah  Nahr,"  or  Royal  Canal. 
By  a  convenient  mixture  of  coaxing  and  threats,  compli 
ment  and  invective,  a  return  was  at  last  effected,  by  which 
it  appeared  that  in  ordinary  cases  about  one  half  the  rev 
enue  readied  the  treasury,  in  some  one  third,  and  in  one 
district  nothing  !  To  my  great  amusement,  when  I  carne 
to  this  point,  the  gallant  collector  (a  long-bearded  old 
Sikh)  quietly  remarked,  —  "Yes,  Sahib,  this  was  indeed 
a  great  place  for  us  entirely."  I  said,  "Yes,  you  villain, 
you  gentry  grew  fat  on  robbing  your  master."  "  Don't 
call  it  robbing,"  he  said  ;  "  I  assure  you  I  wouldn't  be 
dishonest  for  the  world.  I  never  took  more  than  my  pred 
ecessors  did  before  me."  About  the  most  naive  defini 
tion  of  honesty  I  have  had  the  luck  to  meet  with.  I 
fancy  our  visit  to  these  nooks  and  corners  of  the  Punjaub 
has  added  some  50,000/.  a  year  to  the  revenue.  My 
present  role  is  to  survey  a  part  of  the  country  lying  along 


110  PUNJAUB. 

the  left  bank  of  the  Ravee  and  below  the  hills,  and  I  am 
daily  and  all  day  at  work  with  compasses  and  chain,  pen 
and  pencil,  following  streams,  diving  into  valleys,  burrow 
ing  into  hills,  to  complete  my  work.  I  need  hardly 
remark,  that  having  never  attempted  anything  of  the  kind 
hitherto,  it  is  bothering  at  first.  But  one  is  compelled  to 
be  patient  under  this  sort  of  insult,  and  I  should  not  be 
surprised  any  day  to  be  told  to  build  a  ship,  compose  a 
code  of  laws,  or  hold  assizes ;  —  in  fact,  'tis  the  way  in  In 
dia  ;  every  one  has  to  teach  himself  his  work,  and  do 
it  at  the  same  time  ;  if  I  go  on  learning  new  trades  as 
fast  during  the  remainder  of  my  career  as  I  have  done  at 
its  commencement,  I  shall  have  to  retire  as  a  Jacksonian 
professor  at  least,  when  "  my  dog  has  had  his  day." 
Well !  I  have  fairly  beaten  the  cold  this  time,  —  I  turned 
back  one  side  of  the  tent,  and  had  a  big  fire  lighted  out 
side,  protected  from  draughts  by  a  canvas  screen,  and  the 
whole  tent  is  now  in  a  jolly  glow ;  a  gypsy  light  reflected 
on  the  trees  around,  and  on  the  two  tall  picturesque  Aff- 
ghans  who,  seated  cross-legged  on  each  side  of  the  fire, 
either  replenish  it  with  sticks,  fan  it  into  a  flame,  or  watch 
my  pen  with  the  large,  black,  inquisitive  eye  of  a  dog 
looking  out  for  a  crust. 

They  make  much  better  servants  for  wandering  folks 
like  myself  than  the  Hindostanee  servant-tribe,  have 
fewer  or  no  prejudices,  (save  against  clean  water,)  and 
trudge  along  the  livelong  day  as  merrily  as  if  life  was  a 
joke  to  them,  instead  of  the  dull  heavy  reality  it  is.* 

*  Lieutenant  (now  Col.)  Herbert  Edwardes  wrote  as  follows  to  his 
family  in  England:  — 

"  Young  Hodson  has  been  appointed  to  do  duty  with  our  Punjaub 
Guide  Corps,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Lumsden.  The  duties  of  a 
Commandant  or  Adjutant  of  Guides  are  at  once  important  and  delight- 


GUIDE   CORPS.  HI 


Feb.  27th,  1848. 

I  really  have  very  little  to  tell  you  of  my  new  Guide 
Corps  duties  from  the  somewhat  strange  fact  that  I  have 
never  yet  actually  entered  upon  them  ;  this  will  soon 
come  to  an  end,  however,  as  I  have  directions  to  proceed 
to  Peshawur  as  soon  as  the  survey  I  have  been  at  work 
on  is  completed.  The  grand  object  of  the  corps  is  to  train 
a  body  of  men  in  peace  to  be  efficient  in  war ;  to  be  not 
only  acquainted  with  localities,  roads,  rivers,  hills,  ferries, 
and  passes,  but  have  a  good  idea  of  the  produce  and 
supplies  available  in  any  part  of  the  country  ;  to  give 
accurate  information,  not  running  open-mouthed  to  say 
that  10,000  horsemen  and  a  thousand  guns  are  coming, 
(in  true  native  style,)  but  to  stop  to  see  whether  it  may 
not  be  really  only  a  common  cart  and  a  few  wild  horse 
men  who  are  kicking  up  all  the  dust ;  to  call  twenty-five 
by  its  right  name,  and  not  say  fifty  for  short,  as  most  na 
tives  do.  This  of  course  wants  a  great  deal  of  careful 
instruction  and  attention.  Beyond  this,  the  officers  should 
give  a  tolerably  correct  sketch  and  report  of  any  country 
through  which  they  may  pass,  be  au  fait  at  routes  and 
means  of  feeding  troops,  and  above  all  (and  here  you 
come  close  upon  practical  duties)  keep  an  eye  on  the 
doings  "  of  the  neighbors  "  and  the  state  of  the  country, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  give  such  information  as  may  lead  to 
any  outbreak  being  nipped  in  the  bud.  This  is  the  theory, 

ful.  It  is  his  duty  in  time  of  peace  to  fit  himself  for  leading  armies 
during  war.  This  necessitates  his  being  constantly  on  the  move,  and 
making  himself  and  his  men  acquainted  with  the  country  in  every 
quarter.  In  short,  it  is  a  roving  commission,  and  to  &  man  of  spirit 
and  ability  one  of  the  finest  appointments  imaginable. 

"  I  think  Hodson  will  do  it  justice.  He  is  one  of  the  finest  younjr 
fellows  I  know,  and  a  thorough  soldier  in  his  heart." 


112  FLOOD. 

what  the  practice  may  be  I'll  tell  you  some  day  or  other 
when  I  know.  Hitherto  I  have  been  making  myself  gen 
erally  useful  under  the  chief  engineer,  and  learning  to 
survey.  One  has  to  turn  one's  hand  to  everything  if  one 
wishes  to  get  on. 

Meanwhile,  I  am  busily  collecting  every  species  of 
information  about  the  people  and  the  land  they  live  in. 
Hard  work  and  fatigue,  of  course,  but  a  splendid  opening 
and  opportunity  for  making  one's  self  known  and  neces 
sary. 


DEENANUGGUR,  March  14$,  1848. 

The  night  your  letter  reached  me,  Napier  (our  chief 
engineer)  and  I  were  encamped  on  a  spur  of  grass  land 
separating  two  streams  of  the  river  "  Chukkir,"  and  had 
been  so  for  some  days.  That  evening  it  began  to  rain, 
(if  a  sluice  of  water,  apparently  struck  down  from  the 
heavens  by  a  flood  of  the  fiercest  lightning,  can  be  called 
so,)  and  for  thirty-six  hours  the  torrent  descended  with 
out  intermission,  as  only  Asiatic  storms  can  descend.  At 
length  a  pause  ensued,  and  the  sky  was  visible,  and  we 
emerged  from  our  sodden  tents  only  to  be  threatened 
with  water  in  a  worse  form.  The  hills,  valleys,  and 
mountains  began  to  send  down  to  us  what  they  had  so 
plentifully  received  from  above,  and  the  hitherto  quiet 
stream,  whose  wide  stony  channel  surrounded  us,  was  in 
a  single  hour  a  powerful  torrent,  tearing  over  the  country 
as  if  to  prove  what  it  could  do.  By  one  of  the  singular 
freaks  common  to  all  tropical  rivers,  it  dammed  up  one 
of  its  own  widest  outlets  by  the  quantity  of  stones  which 
it  brought  along  with  it,  and  came  tearing  down  the  one 


ROBBER-HUNT.  113 

nearest  to  us.  Across  this,  not  a  hundred  yards  from 
our  tents,  we  had  just  built  a  powerful  breakwater  some 
sixteen  feet  wide,  but  the  water  quietly  walked  over, 
under,  and  round  it ;  roared,  groaned,  stormed,  and 
swelled  angrily  for  two  hours,  and  our  breakwater  was  a 
"  thing  of  history  ; "  meantime,  we  were  gradually  get 
ting  more  and  more  surrounded  with  water,  it  rose  and 
rose  until  only  four  inches  were  wanting  to  set  us  well 
afloat.  The  pegs  of  my  tent-ropes  were  undermined, 
and  a  notice  to  quit  was  as  plainly  written  on  the  face  of 
the  water  as  ever  on  a  legal  process.  There  was  but 
one  way  of  escape,  so  mustering  the  whole  of  a  neigh 
boring  village,  we  loaded  all  our  valuables  and  movables 
on  their  backs,  and  made  a  dash  at  the  hamlet.  Once 
having  succeeded  in  turning  us  out,  the  valiant  Chukkir 
was  content,  and  we  slept  in  our  tents  as  usual,  but  not 
without,  as  it  turned  out,  considerable  risk  of  finding 
ourselves  landed  in  some  unknown  field  on  waking. 

When  this  flood  subsided,  it  appeared  that  the  scene 
of  our  unfortunate  dam  had  become  the  deepest  part  of 
the  channel,  and  the  old  course  choked  with  stones  and 
boulders  which  you  and  I  couldn't  lift  in  a  week  of 
Sundays.  Is  not  this  an  incident? 

Since  I  wrote  last,  in  consequence  of  representations 
I  sent  to  head-quarters  as  to  the  amount  of  plundering 
going  on,  a  large  party  of  horse,  with  one  of  the  princi 
pal  chiefs,  was  sent  out  here,  with  directions  to  act  on  the 
information  I  gave  them.  We  have,  accordingly,  had  a 
robber-hunt  on  a  large  and  tolerably  successful  scale. 
Numbers  have  been  caught.  One  shot  pour  encourager 
les  autres,  and  we  have  traces  of  others,  so  that  my  quiet 
practice  (originally  for  my  own  amusement  and  informa 
tion)  has  been  very  useful  to  the  State.  I  found  out  the 


114  PUNJAUB. 

greatest  part  of  it  by  sending  clever  fellows  disguised  as 
"  faqueers  "  (you  know  what  they  are,  I  think  ;  —  relig 
ious  beggars)  to  the  different  villages  to  talk  to  the 
people  and  learn  their  doings.  Some  of  the  stories  of 
Sikh  violence,  cruelty,  and  treachery  which  I  have  picked 
up  are  almost  beyond  belief.  The  indifference  of  these 
people  to  human  life  is  something  appalling.  I  could 
hardly  get  them  to  give  a  thought  or  attempt  an  inquiry 
as  to  the  identity  of  a  man  whom  I  found  dead,  evidently 
by  violence,  by  the  roadside  yesterday  morning ;  and 
they  were  horrified  at  the  thought  of  tying  up  or  confin 
ing  a  sacred  ox,  who  had  gored  his  thirteenth  man  the 
evening  before  last !  They  told  me  plainly  that  no  one 
had  a  right  to  complain  of  being  hurt  by  so  venerable  a 
beast. 

In  such  pursuits,  combined  with  surveying,  my  time 
passes  away  tolerably  well.  I  am  alone  again,  Napier 
having  gone  to  Lahore;  but  this  is  a  sweet  place,  and 
I  am  staying  in  a  pleasant  summer-house  of  Runjeet 
Singh's,  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  garden,  or  grove  of  mango 
and  orange  trees. 


CAMP  ON  KAVEE,  March  29^,  1848. 

Just  as  I  had  completed  my  somewhat  lengthy  reply  to 
your  question,  I  was  interrupted  by  a  camel-rider,  who 
had  come  in  hot  haste  with  a  letter  from  Sir  F.  Currie, 
at  Lahore,  with  the  most  agreeable  intelligence  in  the 
world,  —  voild. 

"  MY  DEAR  MR.  HODS  ON,  —  Pray  knock  off  your 
present  work,  and  come  into  Lahore  as  quickly  as  you 
can. 


MOOLTAN.  115 

"  I  want  to  send  you  with  Mr.  Agnew  to  Mooltan. 
Mr.  Agnew  starts  immediately  with  your  acquaintance, 
Sirdah  Sumshere  Singh,  to  assume  the  government  of 
that  province,  Moolraj  having  sent  in  his  resignation  of 
the  Nizdmut.  Lieutenant  Becher  is  to  be  Agnevv's  per 
manent  assistant,  but  he  cannot  join  just  now,  and  I  wish 
you  to  go  with  Agnew.  It  is  an  important  mission,  and 
one  that,  I  think,  you  will  like  to  be  employed  in.  When 
relieved  by  Becher,  you  will  join  the  Guides  at  Lahore, 
and  be  employed  also  as  assistant  to  the  Resident.  The 
sooner  you  come  the  better. 

"  Yours,  sincerely, 

"  F.  CURRIE." 

The  last  line  of  Sir  Frederick's  letter  was  not  lost  on 
me,  and  to  keep  up  my  character  for  locomotion,  I  started 
at  daybreak  for  Deenanuggur,  finishing  off  my  work  en 
route,  remained  there  the  rest  of  the  day  to  wind  up 
matters,  and  add  my  surveying  sketch  to  the  large  plan 
I  had  commenced  beforehand,  and  hurried  onwards  this 
morning.  You  will  perceive  that  I  have  crossed  the 
Doab,  and  am  now  writing  on  the  banks  of  the  Ravee, 
some  sixty  miles  above  Lahore.  I  marched  twenty-four 
and  a  half  miles  with  tent  and  baggage  this  morning, 
and  hope  to  continue  at  that  pace,  with  the  difference  of 
marching  by  night,  the  weather  having  suddenly  become 
very  hot  indeed. 

I  am  much  interested  in  the  thought  of  going  to  so  new 
a  place  as  Mooltan  —  new,  that  is  to  say,  to  Europeans, 
yet  so  important  from  position  and  commerce.  The  only 
drawback  is  the  heat,  which  is  notorious  throughout 
Western  India.  I  am  not  aware,  however,  that  it  is  oth 
erwise  unhealthy. 


116  PUNJAUB. 

As  you  may  suppose,  I  am  much  gratified  by  the  ap 
pointment,  both  for  its  own  sake  and  also  as  evincing  so 
very  favorable  and  kindly  a  disposition  toward  myself  on 
the  part  of  the  new  potentate. 


To  his  Sister. 

CAMP,  March  29th,  1848. 

Of  incidents  to  amuse  you  I  have  not  many  to  narrate, 
save  the  usual  "  moving  "  ones  by  "  flood  and  field."  On 
the  18th  I  was  very  nearly  becoming  a  damp  unpleasant 
corpse  to  celebrate  my  birthday.  In  attempting  a  ford, 
my  horse  sank  up  to  the  girths  in  a  quicksand.  I  man 
aged  to  extricate  myself  and,  dry  land  being  near,  he  got 
up  without  damage.  Sending  a  man  ahead,  I  tried  again 
in  another  place.  Here  it  was  fair  to  the  eye  but  false 
to  the  foot.  Down  he  went  again,  this  time  in  deeper 
water,  and  got  me  under  him  by  struggling.  However,  I 
realized  the  old  proverb,  and  escaped  with  a  good  duck 
ing  and  a  mouthful  of  my  native  element,  rather  gritty. 
Next  I  tried  a  camel,  but  the  brute  went  down  at  the 
first  stride.  So  giving  it  up  in  despair,  I  put  on  dry 
clothes,  and  then  waded  through  the  river. 

Not  content  with  one  attempt  on  my  existence,  the 
horse  gave  me  a  violent  kick  the  same  evening  when  I 
went  up  to  him  to  ask  "  How  d'ye  do."  So  I  completed 
my  year,  in  spite  of  myself,  as  it  were. 

LAHORE,  April  2d. 

Since  the  above  was  written,  I  have  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  metropolis,  as  you  see,  at  a  greater  expendi 
ture  of  animal  heat  and  fatigue  than  I  have  gone  through 


LAHORE.  117 

for  some  time.  I  was  very  friendlily  and  pleasantly- 
greeted  by  Sir  F.  and  Lady  Currie,  and  tumbled  at  once 
again  into  the  tide  of  civilization  —  loaf  bread,  arm-chairs, 
hats,  and  ladies  —  as  philosophically  as  if  I  had  been  for 
months  in  the  calm  and  unrestrained  enjoyment  of  such 
luxuries. 

On  my  arrival,  I  found  that  the  arrangement  proposed 
in  Sir  F.  Carrie's  note  had  already  become  matter  of  his 
tory,  not.  of  fact.  The  new  one  is  still  better  for  me.  I 
am  to  remain  at  Lahore,  and  be  an  assistant  to  the  Resi 
dent,  having  my  Guide  duties  to  discharge  also,  when 
Lumsden  arrives  from  Peshawur  with  the  Corps.  He  is 
expected  in  twenty  days.  Nothing  could  possibly  have 
been  better  for  me.  I  shall  have  the  advantage  of  learn 
ing  in  the  best  school,  head-quarters,  and  have  many 
more  opportunities  of  making  myself  "  generally  useful." 
I  am  most  rejoiced  at  the  plan,  and  Sir  F.  Currie's  con 
siderate  kindness  in  devising  it.  We  wont  say  anything 
of  the  regularity  or  consistency  of  making  a  man  of  two 
and  a  half  year's  service,  and  who  has  passed  no  examina 
tion,  a  political  officer,  nor  will  we  be  ungrateful  enough 
to  say  that  he  is  unfit  for  the  appointment,  but  that  he 
should  do  his  utmost  to  show  that  the  rule  is  more  hon 
ored  "  in  the  breach  than  in  the  observance." 


RESIDENCY,  LAHORE,  April  16th,  1848. 

I  shall  not  have  the  same  variety  to  chronicle  now  that 
I  seem  to  be  fixed  here,  but  more  interest  and  a  higher 
style  of  work.  Since  I  wrote  last  I  have  been  six  hours 
a  day  employed  in  court,  hearing  petitions  and  appeals  in 
all  manner  of  cases,  civil  and  criminal,  and  in  matters  of 


118  LAHORE. 

revenue,  as  there  are  but  two  officers  so  employed.  You, 
perhaps,  will  comprehend  that  the  duty  is  no  sinecure. 
It  is  of  vast  importance,  and  I  sometimes  feel  a  half  sen 
sation  of  modesty  coming  over  me  at  being  set  down  to 
administer  justice  in  such  matters  so  early,  and  without 
previous  training.  A  little  practice,  patience,  and  reflec 
tion  settle  most  cases  to  one's  satisfaction,  however  ;  and 
one  must  be  content  with  substantial  justice  as  distin 
guished  from  technical  law.  In  any  point  of  difficulty  one 
has  always  an  older  head  to  refer  to,  and  meantime,  one 
has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  one  is  independent 
and  untrammelled  save  by  a  very  simple  code.  Some 
things,  such  as  sentencing  a  man  to  imprisonment  for 
seven  years  for  killing  a  cow,  are  rather  startling  to  one's 
ideas  of  right  and  wrong ;  but  then  to  kill  a  cow  is  to 
break  a  law,  and  to  disturb  the  public  peace  —  perhaps 
cause  bloodshed  ;  so  the  law  is  vindicated,  and  one's  con 
science  saved.  I  have  many  other  duties,  such  as  finish 
ing  my  map,  for  which  I  was  surveying  at  Deenanuggur ; 
occasionally  translating  an  official  document ;  going  to 
Durbars,  &c. ;  and  when  the  Guides  arrive  (on  the  20th) 
I  shall  have  to  assist  in  drilling  and  instructing  them ; 
to  say  nothing  of  seeing  that  their  quarters  are  prepared, 
and  everything  ready  for  them.  I  am  not,  therefore, 
idle,  and  only  wish  I  had  time  to  read. 

On  the  26th  he  writes  from  Lahore  :  — 

I  mentioned  to  you  that  Sir  F.  Currie's  plan  of  send 
ing  me  to  assist  Agnew  at  Mooltan  had  been  altered,  and 
that  Anderson  had  gone  with  him  in  my  stead.  At  the 
time  I  was  disposed  to  be  disappointed  ;  but  we  never 
know  what  is  for  our  good.  In  this  case  I  should  doubt 
less  have  incurred  the  horrible  fate  of  poor  Anderson  and 


MOOLTAN.  119 

Agnew.     Both  these  poor  fellows  have  been  barbarously 
murdered  by  the  Mooltan  troops. 

He  then  gives  a  detailed  account  of  their  tragi 
cal  fate,  and  the  treachery  of  the  villain  Moolraj, 
and  adds :  — 

The  Sikh  Durbar  profess  their  inability  to  coerce  their 
rebel  subject,  who  is  rapidly  collecting  a  large  army,  and 
strengthening  himself  in  the  proverbially  strong  fort  of 
Mooltan. 

One  cannot  say  how  it  will  end.  The  necessary  delay 
of  five  months,  till  after  the  rains,  will  give  time  for  all 
the  disatfected  to  gather  together,  and  no  one  can  say  how 
far  the  infection  may  extend.  The  Sikhs  were  right  in 
saying,  "  We  shall  have  one  more  fight  for  it  yet." 


LAHORE,  May  lih. 

I  expect  to  be  busy  in  catching  a  party  of  rascals  who 
have  been  trying  to  pervert  our  Sepoys  by  bribes  and 
promises.  We  have  a  clue  to  them,  and  hope  to  take 
them  in  the  act.  We  are  surrounded  here  with  treach 
ery.  No  man  can  say  who  is  implicated,  or  how  far  the 
treason  has  spread.  The  life  of  no  British  officer,  away 
from  Lahore,  is  worth  a  week's  purchase.  It  is  a  pleas 
ant  sort  of  government  to  prop  up,  when  their  head-men 
conspire  against  you  and  their  troops  desert  you  on  the 
slightest  temptation. 

Lumsden,  the  commandant  of  the  Guides,  and  I  want 
something  sensible  for  the  protection  of  our  heads  from 
sun  and  blows,  from  coups  de  soleil  equally  with  coups 
There  is  a  kind  of  leathern  helmet  in  the  Prus- 


120  GUIDE  UNIFORM. 

sian  service  which  is  light,  serviceable,  and  neat.  Will 
you  try  what  you  can  do  in  the  man-millinery  line,  and 
send  me  a  brace  of  good  helmets  ?  We  don't  want  orna 
ment  ;  in  fact,  the  plainer  the  better,  as  we  should  always 
wear  a  turban  over  them,  but  strong,  and  light  as  a  hat. 
I  have  no  doubt  your  taste  will  be  approved.  I  hope  this 
wont  be  a  bore  to  you,  but  one's  head  wants  protecting  in 
these  stormy  days. 

The  helmets  on  their  arrival  were  pronounced 
"  maddening."  This  was  the  first  of  a  series  of 
commissions  connected  with  the  clothing  and 
arming  of  the  Guide  Corps,  which  was  left  main 
ly,  if  not  entirely,  in  my  brother's  hands,  and  was 
a  matter  of  much  interest  to  him.  The  color 
selected  for  their  uniform  was  "  drab,"  as  most 
likely  to  make  them  invisible  in  a  land  of  dust. 
Even  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends  could 
scarcely  have  objected  to  send  out  drab  clothing 
for  900  men,  but  to  this  succeeded  directions  to 
select  the  pattern  of,  and  send  out,  300  rifle  car 
bines,  which  seemed  scarcely  a  clerical  business. 
Tbe  result,  however,  was  satisfactory,  and  in  the 
following  year  my  brother  wrote :  — 

Many  thanks  for  the  trouble  you  have  taken  about  the 
clothing  for  the  Guides.  Sir  C.  Napier  says  they  are 
the  only  properly  dressed  light  troops  he  has  seen  in 
India. 


THE   RANEE.  121 

CAMP,  DEENANUGGUR,  June  5th,  1848. 

You  will  hardly  have  been  prepared  to  hear  that  I  am 
once  more  on  the  move,  rushing  about  the  country,  des 
pite  climate,  heat,  and  rumors  (the  most  alarming). 

I  wrote  last  the  day  after  our  successful  capture  of  the 
conspirators,  whom  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  hung 
three  days  later.  I  then  tried  a  slight  fever  as  a  variety 
for  two  days;  and  on  the  14th  started  to  "bag"  the 
Ranee  in  her  abode  beyond  the  Ravee,  she  having  been 
convicted  of  complicity  in  the  designs  of  the  conspirators. 
Lumsden  and  myself  were  deputed  by  the  Resident  to 
call  on  her,  and  intimate  that  her  presence  was  urgently 
required.  A  detachment  was  ordered  out  to  support  us, 
in  case  any  resistance  should  be  offered.  Fortunately  it 
was  not  required,  as  the  Ranee  complied  at  once  with  our 
"  polite  "  request  to  come  along  with  us.  Instead  of  be 
ing  taken  to  Lahore,  as  she  expected,  we  carried  her  off 
to  Kana  Kutch,  on  the  Ferozepoor  road,  where  a  party 
of  Wheeler's  Irregulars  had  been  sent  to  receive  her.  It 
was  very  hard  work  —  a  long  night  march  to  the  fort, 
and  a  fourteen  hours'  ride  across  to  Kana  Kutch,  whence 
I  had  two  hours'  gallop  into  Lahore  to  report  progress, 
making  sixteen  hours  in  the  saddle,  in  May,  when  the 
nights  are  hot.  On  the  next  Sunday  night  I  was  off* 
again,  to  try  and  seize  or  disperse  a  party  of  horse  and 
foot  collected  by  a  would-be  holy  man,  Maharaja  Singh, 
said  to  amount  to  four  or  five  hundred.  I  made  a  tre 
mendous  march  round  by  Umritsur,  Byrowal-Ghat,  on 
the  Beas,  and  up  that  river's  bank  to  Mokeria,  in  the 
Jullundur  Doab,  whence  I  was  prepared  to  cross  during 
the  night  with  a  party  of  cavalry,  and  attack  the  rascals 
unawares.  Everything  succeeded  admirably  up  to  the 


122  SIKH   CONSPIRACY. 

last,  when  I  found  that  he  had  received  notice  from  a 
rogue  of  a  native  magistrate  that  there  would  he  attempts 
made  to  seize  him,  when  he  fairly  bolted  across  the  Ravee, 
and  is  now  infesting  the  Doab  between  that  river  and  the 
Chenab.  I  have  scoured  this  part  of  the  country  (which 
my  late  surveys  enabled  me  to  traverse  with  perfect  ease) 
got  possession  of  every  boat  on  the  Ravee  from  Lahore 
to  the  Hills,  placed  horsemen  at  every  ferry,  and  been 
bullying  the  people  who  supplied  the  Saint  with  pro 
visions  and  arms.  I  have  a  regiment  of  Irregular  Horse 
(Skinner's)  with  me,  and  full  powers  to  summon  more,  if 
necessary,  from  the  Jullundur  Doab.  Meantime,  a  party 
from  Lahore  are  sweeping  round  to  intercept  the  fellow, 
who  is  getting  strong  by  degrees  ;  and  I  am  going  to 
dash  across  at  midnight  with  a  handful  of  cavalry,  and 
see  if  I  cannot  beat  up  the  country  between  this  and 
Wuzeerabad.  I  am  very  well,  hard  at  work,  and  enjoy 
ing  the  thing  very  much.  I  imagine  this  will  be  the  sort 
of  life  we  shall  lead  about  once  a  week  till  the  Punjaub  is 
annexed.  Every  native  official  has  fraternized  with  the 
rebels  he  was  ordered  to  catch. 


LAHORE,  July  5th,  1848. 

I  wrote  last  from  Deenanuggur,  on  the  eve  of  crossing 
the  Ravee  to  look  after  the  Gooroo,  Maharaja  Singh.  I 
remained  in  the  Rechnab  Doab  some  days,  hunting  up 
evidence  and  punishing  transgressors. 

I  was  very  fairly  successful  in  obtaining  information  of 
the  extent  of  the  conspiracy,  which  has  been  keeping  the 
whole  country  in  a  ferment  these  two  months  past.  All 
that  has  occurred  is  clearly  traceable  to  the  Ranee  (now 


NIGHT   MARCHES.  123 

happily  deported)  and  her  friends,  and  has  been  carried 
out  with  a  fearful  amount  of  the  blackest  treachery  and 
baseness.  There  have  been  stirring  events  since  I  wrote 
last.  Twice  within  a  fortnight  has  Herbert  Kdwardes 
fought  and  defeated  the  Mooltan  rebels  in  pitched  battles, 
and  has  succeeded,  despite  of  treacherous  foes  and  doubt 
ful  friends,  in  driving  them  into  the  fort  of  Mooltan.  His 
success  has  been  only  less  splendid  than  the  energy  and 
courage  which  he  has  shown  throughout,  especially  that 
high  moral  courage  which  defies  responsibility,  risks,  self- 
interest,  and  all  else,  for  the  good  of  the  State,  and  which, 
if  well  directed,  seems  to  command  fortune  and  ensure 
success.  I  have  been  longing  to  be  with  him,  though 
after  my  wonderfully  narrow  escape  of  being  murdered 
with  poor  Agnew  at  Mooltan,  I  may  well  be  content  to 
leave  my  movements  in  other  hands.  I  was  summoned 
into  Lahore  suddenly  (as  usual ! )  to  take  command  of 
the  Guides  and  charge  of  Lumsden's  duties  for  him,  as  he 
had  been  sent  down  the  river  towards  Bhawulpoor.  I  came 
in  the  whole  distance  (one  hundred  miles),  with  bag  and 
baggage,  in  sixty  hours,  which,  considering  that  one  can't 
travel  at  all  by  day,  and  not  more  than  four  miles  an  hour 
by  night,  required  a  great  amount  of  exertion  and  perse 
verance.  It  is  strange  that  the  natives  always  knock  up 
sooner  than  we  do  on  a  march  like  this.  The  cavalry 
were  nine  days  on  the  road,  and  grumbled  then  !  I  know 
few  things  more  fatiguing  than  when  exhausted  by  the 
heat  of  the  day,  to  have  to  mount  at  nightfall,  and  ride 
slowly  throughout  the  night,  and  for  the  two  most  dis 
agreeable  hours  of  a  tropical  day,  viz  :  those  after  sunrise. 
One  night,  on  which  I  was  making  a  longer  march  than 
usual,  had  a  fearful  effect  on  a  European  regiment  mov 
ing  upon  Ferozepoor,  the  same  hot  night-wind,  which  had 


124  PUNJAUB. 

completely  prostrated  me  for  the  time,  fell  upon  the  men 
as  they  halted  at  a  well  to  drink  ;  they  were  fairly  beaten, 
and  lay  down  for  a  few  minutes  to  pant.  When  they 
arose  to  continue  their  march,  a  captain  and  nine  or  ton 
men  were  left  dead  on  the  ground !  It  was  the  simoom 
of  Africa  in  miniature.  I  have  happily  escaped  fever  or 
sickness  of  any  kind,  and  have  nothing  to  complain  of 
but  excessive  weakness.  Quinine  will,  I  trust,  soon  set 
me  up  again. 


LAHOKE,  Sept.  3d,  1848. 

We  have  had  stirring  times  lately,  though  I  personally 
have  had  little  share  in  them.  Mooltan  is  at  last  invested, 
and  we  expect  daily  to  hear  of  its  fall.  Meanwhile,  a 
new  outbreak  has  occurred  in  Huzara,  a  wild  hilly  region 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Indus,  above  Attok,  where  one 
of  the  powerful  Sirdars  has  raised  the  standard  of 
revolt. 

I  suppose  I  may  say  to  you  at  so  great  a  distance,  what 
I  must  not  breathe  here,  that  it  is  now  morally  certain 
that  we  have  only  escaped,  by  what  men  call  chance  and 
accidents,  the  effects  of  a  general  and  well-organized  con 
spiracy  against  British  supremacy  in  Upper  India.  Our 
"  ally"  Gholab  Singh,  the  creature  of  the  treaty  of  1848, 
the  hill  tribes,  the  whole  Punjaub,  the  chiefs  of  Rajpoo- 
tana,  and  the  states  round  Umbala  and  Kurnal,  and  even 
the  King  of  Cabul,  I  believe,  have  been  for  months  and 
months  securely  plotting,  without  our  having  more  than 
the  merest  hints  of  local  disturbances,  against  the  suprem 
acy  of  the  British  Government.  They  were  to  unite 
for  one  vast  effort,  and  drive  us  back  upon  the  Jumna. 
This  was  to  be  again  the  boundary  of  British  India.  The 


SIKH  CONSPIRACY.  125 

rising  in  Mooltan  was  to  be  the  signal.  All  was  prepared, 
when  a  quarrel  between  Moolraj  and  the  treacherous 
khan,  Singh  Man,  who  was  sent  to  commence  the  war, 
spoilt  their  whole  scheme.  The  proud  Rajpoot,  Gholab 
Singh,  refused  to  follow  in  the  wake  of  a  Mooltan  mer 
chant,  and  the  merchant  would  not  yield  to  the  soldier. 
We  have  seen  the  mere  ebullitions  of  the  storm,  the  bub 
bles  which  float  at  the  surface.  I  believe  that  now  we 
are  safe  from  a  general  rising,  and  that  the  fall  of  Mool 
tan  will  put  a  stop  to  mischief.  If,  however,  our  rulers 
resort  again  to  half  measures,  if  a  mutinous  army  is  re 
tained  in  existence,  the  evil  day  will  return  again.  Ab 
solute  supremacy  has  been,  I  think,  long  demonstrated  to 
be  our  only  safety  among  wild  and  treacherous  races. 
Moderation,  in  the  modern  sense,  is  the  greatest  of  all 
weakness. 


Sept.  ISffi,  1848. 

You  will  have  seen  that  our  troops  have  been  hard  at 
it  in  Mooltan,  and  now  I  have  to  tell  you  that  it  has  all 
been  in  vain  ;  Rajah  Shere  Singh,  and  the  whole  of  our 
worthy  Sikh  allies,  have  joined  the  rebel  Moolraj,  and 
General  Whish  has  been  compelled  to  raise  the  siege  and 
retire. 

I  have  just  dispatched  every  available  Guide  to  try 
and  get  quietly  into  the  far-famed  fort  of  Govindghur, 
and  hope  in  a  few  hours  to  hear  of  their  success.  They 
have  forty  friends  inside,  and  only  a  few  score  wavering 
enemies.  I  have  not  a  moment  which  I  can  call  my  own, 
and  have  put  off  this  (which  is  merely  an  assurance  that 
I  am  alive  and  very  well)  to  the  last  moment,  so  as  to 
give  you  the  latest  tidings.  I  am  all  agog  at  the  prospect 


126  GOVINDGHUR. 

of  stirring  times,  and  the  only  single  drawback  is  the  fear 
that  you  all  will  be  very  anxious.  I  shall  not,  however, 
run  my  head  unnecessarily  into  a  scrape,  and  see  no  cause 
for  your  frightening  yourselves. 

One  comfort  is,  that  the  farce  of  native  government 
has  been  played  out.  It  was  an  experiment  honestly 
tried,  and  as  honestly  a  failure. 

A  few  days  later  he  says :  — 

My  Guides  have  covered  themselves  with  glory  (and 
dust)  by  the  way  in  which  they  got  into,  and  got  posses 
sion  of,  the  famed  fort  of  Govindghur.  A  hundred  of 
my  men,  under  a  native  officer  —  a  fine  lad  of  about 
twenty,  whom  I  have  petted  a  good  deal  —  went  up 
quietly  to  the  gates,  on  pretence  of  escorting  four  State 
prisoners,  (whom  I  had  put  in  irons  for  the  occasion,) 
were  allowed  to  get  in,  and  then  threw  up  their  caps,  and 
took  possession  of  the  gateway,  despite  the  scowls,  and 
threats,  and  all  but  open  resistance  of  the  Sikh  garrison. 
A  day  afterwards  a  regiment  marched  from  Lahore,  and 
went  into  garrison  there,  and  so  Runjeet  Singh's  treasure- 
fort  is  fairly  in  our  hands. 


Nov.  1st,  1848. 

I  left  Lahore  —  but  stay,  I  must  get  there  first.  Well, 
I  wrote  from  Ramnuggur,  on  the  Chenab,  last ;  whence, 
after  a  fruitless  sejour  of  six  days,  in  the  vain  hope  of 
meeting  Mrs.  George  Lawrence,  I  returned  suddenly  to 
Lahore  by  an  order  which  reached  me  the  evening  of  the 
5th.  I  started  at  sunset,  and  pushing  my  way  on  various 
borrowed  steeds  across  that  dreary  region  during  the 


RUNGUK  NUGGUL.  127 

night,  accompanied  by  a  single  camel-rider,  I  reached 
Lahore,  a  distance  of  seventy  miles,  by  nine  the  follow 
ing  morning. 

On  the  8th  I  was  off  again  at  daybreak  on  a  longer 
journey  still,  having  to  cross  the  country  to  Brigadier 
Wheeler's  camp  in  the  Jullundur  Doab,  to  convey  orders 
to  him  relative  to  the  reduction  of  two  rebellious  forts  in 
the  Doab,  between  the  Ravee  and  Beas.  A  "  grind  "  of 
some  twenty-six  hours  on  camel-back,  with  the  necessary 
stoppages,  took  me  to  the  camp,  whence  (because  I  had 
not  had  enough)  I  recrossed  the  Beas  the  same  night, 
after  examining  and  reporting  on  the  state  of  the  ferries 
by  which  the  troops  were  to  follow  me.  This  time  I  was 
escorted  by  a  troop  of  Irregular  Horse,  and  being  thereby, 
according  to  my  estimation  of  Sikh  prowess,  rendered  tol 
erably  independent,  I  marched  the  next  morning  for  the 
fort  of  Rungur  Nuggul,  some  fourteen  miles  from  the 
right  bank  of  the  Beas. 

On  approaching  it,  and  the  village  which  covered  one 
side  of  it,  I  was  welcomed  by  a  discharge  of  matchlocks, 
&c.,  as  a  sort  of  bravado,  which  served  to  point  out  ex 
actly  the  range  of  iny  friends'  pieces.  I  lost  no  time 
in  getting  the  horsemen  into  a  secure  position  (which 
means,  one  equally  good  for  fighting  or  running  away), 
and  advanced  under  shelter  of  the  trees  and  sugar-canes 
to  within  easy  distance  of  the  fort.  Hence  I  dispatched 
a  message  to  the  rebels,  to  say  that  if  they  did  not  come 
to  reason  within  an  hour,  they  should  have  no  choice  but 
that  between  cold  steel  or  the  gallows.  The  hour  elapsed 
without  result,  so  mentally  consigning  the  garrison  to  an 
nihilation,  I  set  to  work  to  reconnoitre  the  ground  round 
the  fort.  This  accomplished  —  with  no  further  interrup 
tion  than  a  shower  of  unpleasant  bullets  when  I  ventured 


128  CAPTURE    OF   FORT. 

too  near  —  I  sat  down,  and  drew  a  little  pencil  plan  of 
the  ground  and  fort,  dispatched  a  trooper  with  it  to  the. 
Brigadier,  and  then  retired  to  a  little  village  about  a  mile 
off  for  the  night.  Another  day  and  night  passed  in  this 
precarious  fashion,  without  (as  is  my  usual  fate),  servants, 
clothes,  or  traps,  until  at  length  my  own  men  (Guides) 
arrived  from  Lahore  with  my  baggage  and  horses.  I 
could  now  muster  a  hundred  rifles,  and  eighty  horsemen, 
so  we  set  to  work  to  invest  the  place,  being  the  only  way 
to  render  the  escape  of  the  rebels  difficult  or  impossible. 
The  fort,  though  very  small,  was  immensely  strong,  and 
well  garrisoned  with  desperadoes,  and  we  had  sharp  work 
of  it  during  the  two  nights  and  day  which  elapsed  before 
the  Brigadier  *  appeared  with  his  troops.  By  keeping 
my  men  scattered  about  in  parties,  under  cover,  the  supe 
riority  of  their  weapons  enabled  them  to  gall  the  defend 
ers  of  the  fort  whenever  they  showed  their  heads,  day  or 
night ;  and  whenever  they  made  a  sally  they  got  driven 
back  with  the  loss  of  one  or  two  of  their  companions.  At 
last  the  Brigadier  appeared,  pounded  the  place  with  his 
guns  during  the  day,  and  let  the  garrison  escape  at  night. 
Then  came  the  bore  of  destroying  the  empty  fort,  a  work 
which  consumed  a  week  of  incessant  labor,  and  forty-one 
mines  loaded  with  an  aggregate  of  8,000  pounds  of  pow 
der.  Having  destroyed  house,  fort,  stables,  and  every 
thing,  and  removed  the  grain  and  property,  we  at  length 
moved  on  to  a  second  fort,  called  "  Morara,"  about  a  mile 

#  Extract  from  Despatch  of  BRIGADIER  WHEELER  to  the  ADJUTANT- 
GENERAL. 

CAMP,  RUNGUR  NUGGUL,  Oct.  15#i,  1848. 

"  Lieut.  W.  S.  Hodson,  with  his  detachment  of  Corps  of  Guides,  has 
done  most  excellent  service,  and  by  his  daring  boldness,  and  that  of 
his  men,  gained  the  admiration  of  all." 


MORAEA.  129 

from  the  left  bank  of  the  Ravee,  near  this  place.  I  can 
not  now  go  into  details  of  the  second  failure  of  the  Briga 
dier  in  attempting  to  punish  the  rebels,  for  they  bolted 
before  he  fired  a  shot,  nor  of  my  attempts  to  prevent  their 
escape.  I  have  had  loads  of  work,  what  with  soldiering, 
providing  supplies  for  the  force,  and  all  the  multifarious 
duties  which  come  on  the  shoulders  of  a  "  political "  out 
here.  I  am  quite  well,  and  the  weather  is  lovely,  so 
work  is  easy  comparatively,  and  an  active  life  like  this  is, 
as  you  know,  my  particular  weakness.  I  hope  to  cross 
the  Ravee  in  a  few  days  with  the  troops  collecting  to  pun 
ish  the  rebel  (or  patriot)  Sikh  army.  We  want  Sir  C. 
Xapier  sadly.  What  with  the  incapacity  shown»at  Mool- 
tan,  and  the  dilatory  proceedings  at  head-quarters,  our 
reputation  is  suffering  cruelly,  and  every  one  knows  that 
that  is  a  stain  only  to  be  dyed  out  in  blood.  Every 
week's  delay  adds  thousands  to  our  present  foes  and 
future  victims. 


To  his  Sister. 

DEENANUGGUR,  Dec.  4th,  1848. 

You  must  not  suppose  that  because  I  have  written 
twice  from  this  place  that  therefore  I  have  been  here  all 
the  time.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  been  incessantly  on 
the  move.  So  much  so  as  to  have  pretty  nearly  estab 
lished  a  claim  to  the  medal  for  discovering  perpetual  mo 
tion.  I  have  been  moving  in  an  orbit  whose  gyrations 
have  been  confined  to  a  space  bounded  by  the  Chenab 
and  the  Beas,  and  a  line  drawn  E.  and  W.  through  Um- 
ritsur  and  Lahore.  Nearly  the  whole  of  this  vast  "  track  " 
of  country  has  been  under  my  sole  charge.  I  have  had 
also  to  feed  an  army  daily  of  .3,000  odd  fighting  men, 


130  "POLITICALS." 

2,000  odd  horses,  and  14,000  to  15,000  camp  followers. 
Also  to  take  care  of  and  work  my  Guides ;  to  point  out 
the  haunts  and  obtain  information  of  the  strength  of  "  the 
enemy,"  and  give  him  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  tire 
and  sword ;  item,  to  fight  him  personally  ;  item,  to  destroy 
six  forts,  and  sell  by  auction  the  property  therein  found  ; 
item,  to  be  civil  to  all  comers ;  item,  to  report  all  the  said 
doings  daily  to  Government ;  item,  to  march  ten  to 
twenty  miles  a  day  at  a  slow  pace ;  item,  to  eat,  drink, 
dress,  and  sleep,  to  rest  one's  self  from  all  these  labors.  In 
the  above  compendious  epitome  of  the  work  of  that  much- 
abused  and  ill-used  class  called  "  politicals  "  in  India,  you 
will,  I  tr*ist,  observe  no  vacant  places  or  "  hiati "  in  which 
you  would  expect  to  see  inscribed,  "  item,  to  write  to  one's 
friends."  No  ;  one  is  a  white  slave,  and  no  mistake  ;  day 
and  night,  early  or  late,  week-day  or  Sunday,  one  is  the 
slave  of  the  public,  or  rather  of  the  Government,  to  a 
degree  which  cannot  be  credited  until  it  is  experienced. 
The  departure  of  Brigadier  Wheeler  across  the  Beas, 
and  therefore  out  of  my  beat,  has  made  a  slight  break  in 
the  work,  but  there  is  still  more  than  I  can  get  through 
in  the  day.  I  am  grinding  my  teeth  all  the  time  at  being 
kept  away  from  the  scene  of  what  must  be  the  grand 
struggle  between  the  cow-killers  and  cow-worshippers  on 
the  banks  of  the  Chenab. 

On  the  8th  of  last  month  I  marched  hence  to  overtake 
Brigadier  Wheeler  and  his  troops,  and  accompany  them 
across  the  Ravee.  On  reaching  the  river,  I  represented  to 
the  Brigadier  "  who  of  course  does  not  know  friend  from 
foe  until  he  is  told,"  the  urgent  necessity  of  attacking 
a  party  of  insurgents  who  were  within  fourteen  miles  of 
us,  but  could  not  persuade  him  to  do  so.  The  old  gentle 
man  was  intent  on  pushing  on  to  the  main  army,  flatter- 


INSURGENTS.  131 

ing  himself  he  was  going  to  command  a  division  of  it. 
When  within  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  of  the  head 
quarter  camp  at  Ramnuggur,  I  rode«ever  to  Lahore,  and 
talked  to  Sir  F.  Currie,  who  was  just  dispatching  an  ex 
press  to  me  about  these  very  people  we  had  left  unat- 
tacked  two  days  before.  He  sent  me  off  there  and  then 
to  see  the  Commander-in- Chief,  who  was  very  polite ; 
asked  my  opinion  "and  acted  on  it  too !  " ;  told  me  all  his 
plans  for  carrying  on  the  war;  and  on  my  telling  him  the 
facts  of  the  case,  sent  an  order  to  the  Brigadier  to  re 
trace  his  steps,  and  attack  the  party  he  had  passed  by  at 
once,  with  something  very  like  a  rap  over  the  knuckles. 
After  a  delay  of  some  days,  caused  by  a  sudden  counter 
summons  to  move  to  reinforce  Campbell,*  who  was 
vainly  expecting  that  the  Singhs  would  fight,  we  at 
length  turned  back  for  Kulallwala,  the  name  of  the  fort 
occupied  by  my  friends.  We  got  within  twenty-five 
miles  of  it  on  the  20th,  and  I  urged  the  Brigadier  to 
move  on  like  lightning,  and  crush  them.  He  would  not, 
and  began  to  make  short  marches,  so  I  was  compelled  to 
out-manoeuvre  him  by  a  bold  stroke.  On  the  morning 
of  the  21st  I  left  his  camp,  and  pushed  on  some  ten 
miles  to  a  place  on  the  straight  road  for  Kulallwala. 
Here  was  a  fort  belonging  to  a  doubtful  Sirdar,  and  I 
determined  to  get  possession  of  it  if  possible.  I  had  with 
me  only  100  men,  and  the  enemy  was  only  eight  miles 
off  with  4,000  —  rabble,  to  be  sure,  and  fellows  who  have 
no  heart  for  fighting;  but  the  odds  were  great,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  put  a  bold  face  on  matters.  I  therefore 
"boned"  the  Chief's  two  confidential  servants,  who  were 
in  his  dwelling-house  outside  the  fort,  and  taking  one  on 
each  side  of  me,  walked  up  to  the  gateway,  and  de- 
*  Sir  Colin. 


132  CAPTURE    OF   FORTS. 

manded  admission  ;  they  hesitated,  and  made  excuses.  I 
significantly  hinted  that  my  two  companions  should  be 
responsible  if  a  sl»t  was  fired ;  the  stout  Sikh  heart 
failed,  and  I  was  admitted.  My  proceeding  was  justi 
fied,  and  rendered  most  opportune  by  the  discovery  that 
the  garrison  were  preparing  munitions  of  war,  mount 
ing  guns,  and  looking  saucy.  I  turned  them  out  by  the 
same  means  as  I  had  gained  admittance,  viz  :  by  hinting 
that  if  any  resistance  was  made  the  headmen  by  my  side 
were  doomed.  Putting  in  sixteen  of  my  Guides  to  hold 
it  until  further  orders,  I  took  up  my  quarters  outside  for 
the  night,  and  prepared  to  attack  another  small  mud  fort 
near  at  hand  in  the  morning. 

However,  my  friends  ran  away  in  the  night  in  a  fright, 
and  thus  I  had  opened  the  road  to  Kulallwala  without 
firing  a  shot.  In  the  morning  I  marched  with  my  little 
party  towards  the  enemy,  sending  back  a  messenger  to 
the  Brigadier  to  say  that  I  was  close  to  the  place,  and 
that  if  he  did  not  come  on  sharp  they  would  run  away  or 
overwhelm  me.  He  was  dreadfully  angry,  but  came  on 
like  a  good  boy !  When  within  a  mile  or  so  of  the  fort, 
I  halted  my  party  to  allow  his  column  to  get  up  nearer, 
and  as  soon  as  I  could  see  it,  moved  on  quietly.  The 
ruse  told  to  perfection  :  thinking  they  had  only  100  men 
and  myself  to  deal  with,  the  Sikhs  advanced  in  strength, 
thirty  to  one,  to  meet  me,  with  colors  flying  and  drums 
beating.  Just  then  a  breeze  sprung  up,  the  dust  blew 
aside,  and  the  long  line  of  horsemen  coining  on  rapidly 
behind  my  party  burst  upon  their  sense,s.  They  turned 
instantly,  and  made  for  the  fort,  so  leaving  my  men  to 
advance  quietly  after  them,  I  galloped  up  to  the  Briga 
dier,  pointed  out  the  flying  Sikhs,  explained  their  posi 
tion,  and  begged  him  to  charge  them.  He  melted  from 


KULALLWALA.  133 

his  wrath,  and  told  two  regiments  of  Irregulars  to  follow 
my  guidance.  On  we  went  at  the  gallop,  cut  in  amongst 
the  fugitives,  and  punished  them  fearfully.  The  unfortu 
nate  wretches  had  cause  to  rue  the  day  they  turned  reb 
els,  for  we  left  them  thickly  on  the  ground  as  we  swept 
along.  I  had  never  charged  with  cavalry  before,  or  come 
so  directly  into  hand  to  hand  conflict  with  the  Sikh,  save 
of  course  in  the  trenches  at  Sobraon.  About  300  to  400 
escaped  into  the  fort,  while  the  remainder  threw  down 
their  arms  and  dispersed  over  the  country.  The  garrison 
ran  away  during  the  night,  unfortunately,  and  we  had 
only  to  take  peaceful  possession  in  the  morning.  We 
had  killed  some  250  to  300  of  them,  which  will  be  a  les 
son  to  them,  I  hope.  My  men  got  into  the  village  contig 
uous  to  the  fort  early,  while  we  pitched  into  those  of  the 
enemy  who  remained  behind,  to  a  great  extent.  Since 
then  we  have  been  pursuing  other  parties,  but  only  came 
into  collision  with  them  to  a  very  trifling  extent  once. 
They  had  learnt  how  to  run  away  beautifully.  The  Brig 
adier  has  grown  quite  active,  and  very  fond  of  me  since 
that  day  at  Kulallwala,  though  he  had  the  wit  to  see  how 
very  "  brown  I  had  done  him "  by  making  him  march 
two  marches  in  one.* 

*  Extract  from  an  Order  issued  by  BKIGADIER-GENERAL  WHEELER. 

"  CAMP    KULALLWALA,  Nov.  23(7,  1848. 

"The  detachment  of  the  Corps  of  Guides  moved  in  the  morning 
'direct  on  the  village,  whilst  the  other  troops  were  moving  on  the 
fort.  It  was  occupied  in  force  by  the  enemy,  who  were  dislodged  in 
a  most  spirited  manner,  and  the  place  afterwards  retained  as  com 
manding  the  works  of  the  fort,  the  men  keeping  up  a  sharp  fire  on  all 
who  showed  themselves.  The  thanks  of  the  Brigadier- General  are 
due  to  Lieut.  Hodson,  not  only  for  his  services  in  the  field,  but  for  the 
information  with  which  he  furnished  him,  and  he  offers  them  to  him 
and  to  his  men." 


134  GUMROLAH. 

Jan.  1849. 

I  have  just  completed  the  first  series  of  my  duties  in 
this  Doab,  by  driving  the  last  party  of  the  insurgents 
across  the  Chenab. 

As  soon  as  I  had  settled  matters  a  little  at  Deenanug- 
gur,  and  made  some  arrangements  to  prevent  further 
troubles  if  possible,  I  crossed  the  Ravee  again,  and  got 
upon  the  track  of  the  rebel  party  who  had  given  us  so 
much  trouble.  On  the  15th,  I  heard  that  a  large  party 
had  collected  at  a  village  called  Gumrolah  (near  Duffer- 
wal),  but  they  had  so  many  spies  in  my  camp,  that  it  was 
difficult  to  avoid  their  ken ;  at  the  same  time  their  ten 
dency  to  run  away  made  a  surprise  the  only  feasible 
mode  of  reaching  them.  We  therefore  turned  in  as  usual 
at  night,  but  soon  after  midnight  I  aroused  my  men,  and 
got  them  under  arms  and  off  before  any  one  was  aware 
of  our  move.  I  had  with  me  one  hundred  of  my  Guides 
and  fifteen  sowars. 

We  marched  quietly  but  swiftly,  all  night,  and  came 
upon  the  insurgents  just  at  daybreak.  I  had  ridden 
forward  about  half  a  mile,  with  a  couple  of  sowars,  to 
reconnoitre,  and  got  unobserved  within  250  yards  of  the 
insurgents,  numbering  at  least  150  horse  and  foot. 

They  looked  at  me,  and  hesitated  whether  to  come  at 
me  or  not,  apparently,  while  I  beckoned  to  the  remaining 
sowars  to  come  up.  I  was  in  great  hopes  that  they  would 
have  waited  for  ten  minutes,  by  which  time  my  men 
would  have  been  up,  with  their  rifles,  and  we  should  have 
given  a  good  account  of  them.  However,  before  five 
minutes  had  elapsed,  they  moved  off  sulkily 'like  a  herd 
of  frightened  deer,  half  alarmed,  half  in  doubt.  I  saw 
at  once  that  there  was  but  one  chance  left,  and  deter- 


DESPERATE   FIGHT.  135 

mined  to  go  at  them  as  I  was, —  though  15  to  150  is  an 
imprudent  attempt. 

The  instant  we  were  in  motion  they  fled,  and  had  gone 
half  a  mile  before  we  could  overtake  them  ;  the  mounted 
men  got  off,  but  a  party  of  Akhalees  *  on  foot  stopped 
and  fought  us,  in  some  instances  very  fiercely.  One  fine 
bold  "  Nihung "  beat  off  four  sowars  one  after  another, 
and  kept  them  all  at  bay.  I  then  went  at  him  myself, 
fearing  that  he  would  kill  one  of  them.  He  instantly 
rushed  to  meet  me  like  a  tiger,  closed  with  me,  yelling, 
"  Wah  Gooroo  ji,"  and  accompanying  each  shout  with  a 
terrific  blow  of  his  tulwar.  I  guarded  the  three  or  four 
first,  but  he  pressed  so  closely  to  my  horse's  rein  that  I 
could  not  get  a  fair  cut  in  return.  At  length  I  pressed 
in  my  turn  upon  him  so  sharply  that  he  missed  his  blow, 
and  1  caught  his  tulwar  backhanded  with  my  bridle  hand, 
wrenched  it  from  him,  and  cut  him  down  with  the  right, 
having  received  no  further  injury  than  a  severe  cut  across 
the  fingers  ;  I  never  beheld  such  desperation  and  fury  in 
my  life.  It  was  not  human  scarcely.  By  this  time  the 
rest  of  the  party  had  gone  a  long  way,  and  as  we  had 
already  pursued  farther  than  was  prudent,  where  the 
spectators  even  were  armed,  and  awaiting  the  result,  I 
was  obliged  to  halt,  not  without  a  growl  at  General 
Wheeler  for  having  left  me  without  any  men.  We  had 
killed  one  more  than  our  own  number,  however,  and  five 
more  were  so  severely  wounded  that  they  were  removed 
on  "  charpoys." 

I  insert  here  a  portion  of  Sir  F.  Carrie's  de 
spatch  to  the  Governor-General  with  reference  to 
this  affair,  with  the  Governor- General's  reply. 

*  Fanatics. 


136  THANKS    OF   GOVERNMENT. 

They  will  show  the  high  opinion  entertained  at 
the  time  of  my  brother's  services  by  his  superiors. 

"  LAHORE  PRESIDENCY,  Jan.  6th,  1849. 

"  The  affair  at  Buddee  Find  was  a  most  gal 
lant  one,  —  far  more  so  than  Lieutenant  Hod- 
son's  modest  statement  in  his  letter  would  lead 
me  to  suppose.  I  have  accounts  from  parties 
who  were  eye-witnesses  to  the  personal  gallantry 
and  energy  of  Lieutenant  Hodson,  by  whose 
hand,  in  single  conflict,  the  Akhalee,  mentioned 
in  paragraph  5,  fell,  after  he  had  beaten  off  four 
horsemen  of  the  15th  Native  Cavalry,  and  to 
whose  bold  activity  and  indefatigable  exertions, 
and  the  admirable  arrangements  made  by  him, 
with  the  small  means  at  his  disposal,  the  success 
ful  issue  of  this  expedition  is  to  be  attributed." 

To  this  his  Lordship  replied  as  follows,  through 
his  secretary. 

From  the  SECRETARY  TO  GOVERNMENT  to  SIR  F.  CURRIE,  BART. 

"  Jan.  Uth,  1849. 

"  I  am  directed  to  request  that  you  will  convey 
to  Lieutenant  Hodson  the  strong  expression  of 
the  Governor- General's  satisfaction  with  his  con 
duct,  and  with  the  mode  in  which  he  discharges 
whatever  duty  is  intrusted  to  him.  The  Gov 
ernor-General  has  had  frequent  occasions  of  no 
ticing  the  activity,  energy,  and  intelligence  of  his 
proceedings,  and  he  has  added  to  the  exercise  of 
the  same  qualities  on  this  occasion  an  exhibition 


HUNTING   RAM   SINGH.  137 

of  personal  gallantry  which  the  Governor-General 
has  much  pleasure  in  recording  and  applauding, 
although  Lieutenant  Hodson  has  modestly  re 
frained  from  bringing  it  to  notice  himself.  The 
Governor- General  offers  to  Lieutenant  Hodson 
his  best  thanks  for  these  services. 

(Signed)  "  H.  M.  ELLIOTT, 

"  Secretary  to  the  Government  of  India 
with  the  Governor- General." 


CAMP  UNDER  THE  HlLLS  ON  THE  RAVEE, 

Jan.  18th,  1849. 

...  A  few  days  afterwards,  Lumsden  having  joined  me 
with  our  mounted  men,  we  surprised  and  cut  to  pieces 
another  party  of  rebels,  for  which  we  have  again  been 
thanked  by  Government.  Since  then  I  have  been  with 
Brigadier-General  Wheeler's  force  again,  employed  in 
hunting  after  one  Ram  Singh  and  his  followers,  and  have 
been  day  and  night  at  work,  —  examining  the  hills  and 
rivers,  trying  fords,  leading  columns,  and  doing  all  the 
multifarious  duties  thrust  on  that  unhappy  combination 
of  hard  work,  a  "  Guide "  and  "  Political "  in  one. 
Ram  Singh's  position  was  stormed  on  the  16th,  and  I  had 
been  chosen  to  lead  one  of  the  principal  columns  of 
attack  ;  but  we  had  to  march  by  a  circuitous  route  across 
the  hills,  darkness  came  on,  accompanied  by  dreadful 
rain,  the  rivers  rose  and  were  impassable,  and  after 
twenty-four  hours  of  the  most  trying  work  I  ever  experi 
enced,  in  which  cold,  hunger,  and  wet  were  our  enemies, 
we  succeeded  in  reaching  our  ground  just  in  time  to  be 
too  late ;  however,  I  had  done  all  that  human  nature 


138  HEIGHTS   OF   DULLAH. 

could  effect  under  the  circumstances,  and  one  cannot 
always  be  successful.  Two  poor  fellows,  one  a  nephew 
of  Sir  R.  Peel's,  were  killed  ;  otherwise  the  loss  was 
trifling  on  our  side.* 

We  have  just  received  intelligence  of  another  great 
fight  between  the  army  under  Lord  Gough  and  the 
Sikhs,  f  m  which  the  latter,  though  beaten,  seem  to  have 
had  every  advantage  given  away  to  them.  Our  loss  has 
been  severe,  and  the  mismanagement  very  disgraceful,  yet 
it  will  be  called  a  victory  and  lauded  accordingly.  Oh 
for  one  month  of  Sir  Charles  Napier ! 


DEENANUGGUR,  Feb.  4tht  1849. 

I  had  one  of  my  narrowest  escapes  two  days  ago  :  I  went 
into  Lahore  for  a  few  days  to  see  Sir  H.  Lawrence  (who 
is  again  the  Resident),  and  laid  relays  of  horses  along  the 
road  to  this  place,  so  as  to  ride  in  at  once.  I  left  Lahore 
on  the  morning  of  the  31st,  and  stopping  at  Umritsur  to 
breakfast,  reached  my  camp  at  nightfall,  having  ridden 
one  hundred  miles  in  ten  hours  and  a  half.  A  party  of 

#  Extract  from  an  Order  issued  by  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  WHEELER, 
C.  B.,  dated 

"  CAMP  BELOW  DULLAH,  Jan.  17//?,  1849. 

"  This  order  cannot  be  closed  without  the  expression  of  the  Briga 
dier-General's  high  opinion  of  the  services  of  Lieutenants  Lumsden 
and  Hodson,  who  have  spared  no  labor  to  obtain  for  him  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  mountain  of  Dullah  and  its  approaches;  and  Lieu 
tenant  Hodson  has  entitled  himself  to  the  sincere  thanks  of  the  Brig 
adier-General  for  his  endeavors  to  lead  a  column  to  turn  the  enemy's 
position,  which  failed  only  from  causes  which  rendered  success  im 
practicable." 

t  Chillianwalla,  Jan.  13th,  1849. 


NAKROW  ESCAPE.  139 

Sikhs  had  collected  at  a  village  by  the  roadside  to  attack 
me  and  "  polish  "  me  oiF,  but  not  calculating  upon  the 
rapidity  of  my  movements,  did  not  expect  me  until  the 
morning.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  they  surrounded  my 
horses  which  were  coming  on  quietly  in  the  morning, 
asked  for  me,  and  finding  I  had  escaped,  stole  my  best 
horse  (a  valuable  Arab,  who  had  carried  me  in  three 
fights),  and  bolted,  not,  however,  without  resistance,  for 
two  horsemen  (Guides)  of  mine  who  were  with  the  horse 
tried  to  save  it.  One  got  four  wounds  and  the  other  es 
caped  unhurt.  Had  I  ridden  like  any  other  Christian 
instead  of  like  a  spectre  horseman,  and  been  the  usual 
time  on  the  road,  I  should  have  been  "  a  body."  We 
gave  chase  from  hence  as  soon  as  we  heard,  and  rode  for 
eleven  hours  and  a  half  in  pursuit !  which  was  pretty 
well  after  a  hundred  miles'  ride  the  day  before. 

But  my  horse  it  is  another's, 
And  it  never  can  be  mine ! 


CAMP,  WUZEERABAD,  Feb.  19$,  1849. 

I  have  at  length  reached  the  "  army  of  the  Punjaub," 
almost  by  accident,  as  it  were,  though  I  was  most  anxious 
to  be  present  at  the  final  grand  struggle  between  the 
Klialsa  and  the  British  armies.  I  am  at  present  with 
my  men,  attached  to  a  brigade  encamped  on  this  (the 
left)  bank  of  the  Chenab,  to  prevent  the  enemy  crossing 
until  Lord  Gough  is  ready  to  attack  them  on  the  right 
bank,  where  .he  is  now  encamped  with  his  whole  force 
minus  our  brigade.  The  Sikhs  quietly  walked  away 
from  him  the  other  day,  and  instead  of  having  their 
backs  to  the  Jhelum,  passed  round  his  flank,  and  made 


140  BATTLE    OF   GOOJERAT. 

steadily  for  this  place,  intending,  boldly  enough,  to  march 
upon  Lahore.  I  came  across  the  Doab  with  a  handful 
of  men.  arid  reached  this  place  just  as  they  took  up  a 
position  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river.  At  the  same 
moment  a  brigade  arrived  by  a  forced  night-march  from 
Ramnuggur,  and,  for  the  present,  the  Sikhs  have  been 
sold.  Yet  I  should  not  be  surprised  at  their  evading  us 
again,  and  going  off  to  a  higher  ford.  The  game  is  get 
ting  very  exciting,  and  I  am  quite  enjoying  the  stir  and 
bustle  of  two  large  armies  in  the  field.  The  grand  finale 
must,  one  would  think,  come  off  in  a  day  or  two.  It  is 
possible  however  that,  as  I  say,  the  Sikhs  may  out-ma 
noeuvre  us  and  prolong  the  campaign.  The  Affghans 
have  joined  the  Sikhs,  contrary  to  the  expectations  of 
every  one  (but  myself),  and  there  is  now  no  saying  where 
the  struggle  will  end. 

The  Affghans  are  contemptible  in  the  plains,  generally 
speaking ;  but  numbers  become  formidable,  even  if  armed 
with  broomsticks. 

This  was  written  two  days  before  the  decisive 
engagement  of  Goojerat,  at  which  he  was  present, 
attached  to  the  personal  staff  of  the  Commander- 
in-Chief.  His  letter,  giving  an  account  of  the 
action,  was  unfortunately  lost,  but  I  subjoin  a 
despatch  from  the  Commander-in- Chief  to  the 
Governor- General :  — 

"  CAMP,  KULLALA,  March  15$,  1849. 

"  On  the  re-perusal  of  my  despatch  relative  to 
the  operations  of  February  21st  at  Goojerat,  I  re 
gret  to  find  that  I  omitted  to  mention  the  names 
of  Lieutenants  Lumsden  arid  Hodson  of  the 


LORD   GOUGH'S   DESPATCH.  141 

corps  of  Guides,  and  Lieutenant  Lake  of  the 
Engineers,  attached  to  the  Political  Department. 
These  officers  were  most  active  in  conveying 
orders  throughout  the  action,  and  I  now  beg  to 
bring  their  names  to  the  favorable  notice  of  your 
Lordship." 


CHAPTER  V. 

ANNEXATION    OF    PUNJAUB. INCREASE    OF    CORPS    OF 

GUIDES    AT    PESHAWUR. TRANSFER    TO     CIVIL    DE 
PARTMENT    AS    ASSISTANT    COMMISSIONER. 

April  l?ih,  1849. 

You  will  have  heard  of  the  great  events  of  the  last 
month ;  how  on  the  26th  March,  the  Punjaub  became 
"forever "  a  British  Province,  governed  by  a  Trium 
virate  ;  and  how  the  Koh-i-noor  was  appropriated  as  a 
present  to  the  Queen,  —  and  all  the  rest  of  it ;  you  may 
imagine  the  turmoil  and  unrest  of  this  eventful  time ;  but 
I  defy  you  to  imagine  the  confusion  of  the  process  which 
converts  a  wild  native  kingdom  into  a  police-ridden  and 
civilian-governed  country. 

I  had  anticipated  and  wished  for  this  measure.  I  did 
not,  however,  expect  that  it  would  be  carried  out  so  sud 
denly  and  so  sweepingly  as  it  has  been 

I  have  been  annexed  as  well  as  the  Punjaub  !  my  "  oc 
cupation  's  gone,"  and  although  efforts  have  been  and  are 
making  for  my  restoration  to  "  the  department,"  yet  at 
present  I  am  shelved.  I  shall  know  more  next  month. 
Meanwhile,  I  am  off  with  the  new  Commissioner  to  in 
struct  him  in  the  details  of  his  province,  which  I  had 
governed  and  won  from  the  rebels  during  the  last  six 
months,  but  in  which  I  am  not  now  accounted  worthy  to 


ANNEXATION  OF  PUNJAUB.  143 

be  a  humble  assistant.  There  's  fame  !  Well,  .something 
will  turn  up,  I  suppose.  I  hope  to  remain  here,  however, 
under  the  Commissioner,  for  a  time,  that  I  may  get  ac 
quainted  with  this  wonderful  civil  system.  It  is  as  well 
to  know  how  the  mill  works. 

I  got  quite  fond  of  Lord  Gough.  I  was  his  guest  at 
Lahore  for  a  month,  and  his  noble  character  and  fire 
made  one  condone  his  mistakes. 

We  are  now  on  the  "  qui  vive  "  for  his  successor.  I 
long  for  Sir  C.  Napier,  but  the  Court  of  Directors  seem 
determined  to  hold  out. 

The  Guides  are  at  Peshawur,  where  I  shall  probably 
join  them. 

Lieutenant  Hodson's  descent  in  position,  upon 
the  annexation  of  the  Punjaub,  was,  perhaps,  un 
avoidable,  though  it  was  very  natural  that  he 
should  feel  it.  So  soon  as  the  country  was  placed 
under  the  government  of  the  East  India  Com 
pany,  the  regulations  of  the  service  with  regard 
to  seniority  of  course  took  effect,  and  it  was  not 
to  be  expected  that  a  subaltern  of  less  than  five 
years'  standing  should  be  continued  in  so  impor 
tant  a  charge,  however  well  qualified  he  might 
have  proved  himself  for  it  in  the  most  trying 
times.  His  position  altogether  had  been  a  pecu 
liar  and  exceptional  one. 

We  shall  see,  however,  that  his  disappointment 
did  not  prevent  his  throwing  himself  with  his 
usual  energy  into  whatever  duties  were  assigned 
to  him. 


144  PESHAWUR. 


To  his  Brother. 

PESHAWUR,  May  14$,  1849. 

My  stay  here  is  very  uncertain.  I  merely  came  to 
settle  affairs  with  Lumsden  relative  to  the  increase  of 
the  Guides.  Meantime,  I  have  been  much  interested 
with  my  first  visit  to  this  Affghan  province  and  to  the 
Indus.  You  will  see  at  once  that  though  it  gives  us  a 
very  strong  military  frontier,  only  passable  to  armies  in 
half  a  dozen  points,  and  therefore  infinitely  less  difficult 
to  hold  than  a  long  line  of  river,  which  is  ever  "  a  silent 
highway  for  nations,"  yet  at  the  same  time  we  have  once 
more  established  a  footing  in  Affghanistan  from  which 
there  is  no  receding,  as  we  did  when  we  went  as  allies 
to  the  puppet  Shah  Soojah.  Our  next  stride  must  be  to 
Herat,  I  fancy  ;  when  the  day  will  come  no  man  can  say, 
but  "the  uncontrollable  principle,"  which,  according  to 
Sir  R.  Peel,  took  us  there  before,  will  not  be  the  less  ac 
tive  in  its  operation  now  that  we  have  no  longer  the  court 
and  camp  of  Runjeet  Singh  between  us  and  these  wild 
tribes.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  "  the  uncontrollable  princi 
ple  "  will  not  appear  so  very  like  an  ^controllable  want 
of  it  as  it  did  in  days  gone  by  !  However,  go  we  must, 
and  shall  some  day,  —  so  hurrah  for  Cabul ! 

I  wish  you  would  hit  upon  some  plan  for  keeping  me 
more  "  au  fait "  with  the  events  of  your  home  world. 
My  time  has  been  occupied  so  constantly  since  I  came  to 
India,  that,  though  I  may  have  made  some  progress  in 
the  knowledge  of  men,  I  have  made  but  little  in  that  of 
books.  We  are  sadly  off  for  military  works  in  English, 
and  few  sciences  require  more  study  than  the  art  of  war. 
You  might  get  me  a  list  of  good  works  from  the  "  United 


DRILLING  GUIDES.  145 

Service  Institution  "  at  Charing  Cross.  I  want  the  best 
edition  of  Cassar  procurable  ;  also  Xenophon  and  Arrian. 
I  fancy  the  last  has  been  very  well  edited. 


PESHAWUR,  June  8th,  1849. 

This  is  the  first  time  I  have  written  to  you  from 
AfFghanistan.  Who  shall  say  whence  my  letters  may  be 
directed  within  a  few  months.  Are  we  to  advance  on 
Cabul  and  Candahar,  and  plant  the  Union  Jack  once 
more  on  the  towers  of  Ghuznee  ?  or  are  we  to  lie  peace 
fully  slumbering  on  the  banks  of  the  Indus?  Are  our 
conquests  at  an  end  ?  or  will  it  be  said  of  Lord  Dal- 
housie  — 

Ultra  et  Garamantas  et  Indos 
Proferet  imperium  V 

My  own  belief  is,  that  I  shall  live  to  see  both  the  places 
I  have  mentioned,  and  Herat,  occupied  by  British  troops ; 
at  least,  I  hope  so. 

I  think  I  told  you  how  it  had  pleased  the  Governor- 
General  to  reward  "my  distinguished  services,"  toils, 
troubles,  and  dangers,  by  kicking  me  out  of  the  coach 
altogether.  Did  I  not  ?  Well,  after  that  close  to  my 
civil  duties,  after  having  "initiated"  the  new  Commis 
sioner  into  his  duties,  I  was  sent  up  hither  to  augment 
recruits  and  train  the  Guides.  And  now  daily,  morning 
and  evening,  I  may  be  seen  standing  on  one  leg  to  con 
vince  their  Affghan  mind  of  the  plausibility  and  elegance 
of  the  goose  step.  I  am  quite  a  sergeant-major  just  now, 
and  you  will  well  believe  that  your  wandering  brother  is 
sufficiently  cosmopolized  to  drop  with  a  certain  "  aplomb  " 
7 


146  DEARTH  OF  BOOKS. 

into  any  line  of  life  which  may  turn  up  in  the  course 
of  his  career.  I  was  always  fond  of  "  soldiering,"  and 
there  is  a  species  of  absurdity  in  dropping  from  the 
minister  of  a  province  into  a  drill-sergeant,  which  is 
enlivening.  By  the  next  mail  I  may  have  to  report  my 
transformation  into  some  new  animal.  So  "  vive  la 
gloire." 


PESHAWUB,  July  19<A,  1849. 

I  hope  that  you  got  my  letter  about  sending  me  books. 
There  is  a  remarkable  dearth  of  them  here  just  now. 
You  know  it  was  a  flying  column  which  came  on  here 
after  Goojerat,  composed  of  regiments  hurried  up  to  the 
field  from  Bombay,  Scinde,  and  Hindostan.  They  came  in 
light  marching  order.  Books  are  not  a  part  of  that  style 
of  equipment.  Suddenly  a  Government  order  consigned 
them  to  Peshawur,  for  seven'  months  at  least,  —  10,000 
men,  with  an  unusually  large  number  of  Europeans  and 
officers,  and  no  books  !  Pleasant  during  the  confinement 
caused  by  the  hot  season.  I  was  better  off,  because,  be 
ing  a  nomad  by  profession,  I  carry  a  few  books  as  a  part 
even  of  the  lightest  equipment,  but  I  have  read  them  all 
till  I  am  tired,  except  Shakspeare.  My  time  is  pretty 
fully  occupied,  but  there  are  dozens  of  regimental  officers 
who  have  not  an  hour's  work  in  two  days,  and  I  do  pity 
them  from  my  heart.  Then  of  course  there  are  no  ladies 
here,  and  consequently  no  society,  or  reunions,  (as  they 
are  called  when  people  live  together,)  and  people  are 
pitched  headlong  on  to  their  own  resources,  and  find  them 
very  hard  falling  indeed !  I  have  nothing  personal  to 
tell  you,  except  that  when  the  last  mail  went  out  I  was  in 
bed  with  a  sharp  attack  of  fever,  which  left  me  without 


NEWS    OF   SISTER'S   DEATH.  147 

strength,  flesh,  or  appetite,  —  a  regular  blazing  eastern 
fever,  the  sort  of  thing  which  burns  so  fast,  that  if  it  don't 
stop  quickly,  it  burns  you  well  down  into  the  socket, 
and  leaves  you  there  without  strength  to  splutter  or 
flicker,  and  you  go  out  without  the  satisfaction  of  a  last 
flare-up  at  expiring.  I  am  thankful  to  say  I  am  well 
again  now,  and  picking  up  strength  fast. 

They  are  increasing  our  corps  of  Guides  to  1,000  men, 
so  that  I  shall  have  enough  on  my  hands,  especially  as 
our  Commandant  leaves  almost  everything  to  me.  Sir  H. 
Lawrence  writes  from  Simla  that  I  am  to  be  appointed 
an  Assistant  Commissioner  under  the  new  Board  of  Ad 
ministration.  I  was  the  only  one  of  the  late  Assistants 
to  the  Resident  who  was  not  included  at  first  in  the  new 
regime. 


LAHORE,  Sept.  3d,  1849. 

On  my  arrival  here  I  found  your  note  of  18th  June. 
You  may  imagine  how  wild  I  was  with  pleasure  at 
seeing  your  handwriting  again,  as  I  had  been  deeply 
anxious  since  the  arrival  of  my  father's  and  George's 
letters  of  the  4th  June.  These  brought  me  the  first 
tidings  of  our  darling's  death.  Happily  I  saw  no  news 
paper  by  that  mail,  and  the  black  edges  first  startled  me 
from  the  belief  that  you  were  all  well  and  happy.  The 
blow  was  a  bitter  one  indeed,  and  its  utter  suddenness 
was  appalling.  Indeed,  the  prevailing  impression  on  my 
mind  for  days  was  simple  unbelief  of  the  reality  of  that 
sweet  child's  actual  death.  I  have  been  so  long  alone,  — 
home  has  been  for  so  long  a  time  more  a  pleasant  dream 
than  a  reality,  —  I  have  been  for  so  many  a  weary  day, 
as  it  were,  dead  to  you  all,  and  the  sense  of  separation  has 


148  SIR   H.   LAWRENCE. 

grown  so  completely  into  one's  being,  that  I  find  it  diffi 
cult  to  separate  that  which  it  is  possible  to  see  again  from 
that  which  is  impossible.  Thus  it  seems  to  me  incredible 
that  any  greater  barrier  can  sever  me  from  this  darling 
child  than  that  ever-present  one  which  divides  me  from 
all  of  you.  Can  you  understand  this  ?  I  know  it  to  be 
a  delusion,  and  yet  I  cannot  shake  it  off.  Yet  'tis  a 
good  delusion  in  one  way.  It  deadens  the  sense  of  grief* 
which  the  full  realization  of  her  death  would  overwhelm 
me  with. 

I  have  been  unfortunate  again,  and  had  a  second  sharp 
attack  of  fever  since  my  arrival.  I  am  about  again,  but 
not  able  to  work.  Sir  H.  Lawrence  is  very  unwell ;  I 
fear  that  his  constitution  is  utterly  broken  down,  and  that 
he  will  either  have  to  go  away  from  India  for  two  years 
or  more,  or  that  another  hot  season  will  kill  him.  He  is 
ten  years  older  in  every  respect  than  he  was  during  our 
Cashmere  trip  in  1846.  This  is  a  hard,  wearing,  dry 
climate,  which,  though  preferable  to  Hindostan,  is  destruc 
tive  to  the  weak  and  sickly.  It  is  quite  sad  to  feel  how, 
little  by  little,  one's  strength  and  muscle  and  energy  fade, 
and  how  one  can  perceive  age  creeping  in  upon  one  so 
early. 


LAHORE,  Sept.  24ZA,  1849. 

You  know  that  I  have  left  the  Guides  (alas  !)  and  have 
been  transformed  into  a  complete  civilian,  doomed  to  pass 
the  rest  of  my  career  in  the  administrative  and  executive 
duties  of  the  Government  of  this  last  acquisition  of  the 
English  in  India.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  had  much  rather 
have  remained  with  the  Guides  ;  a  more  independent, 
and  very  far  pleasanter  life,  and  I  think  one  that  will  in 


COMMISSIONER'S  DUTIES.  149 

the  end  be  more  distinguished.  However,  I  was  guided 
by  Mr.  Thomason's  and  Sir  H.  Lawrence's  advice,  and 
must  take  the  consequences.  It  would  be  difficult  to  de 
fine  or  explain  the  exact  nature  of  my  new  calling,  but 
in  brief,  you  will  comprehend  that  in  their  respective  dis 
tricts  the  Deputy  Assistant  Commissioners  perform  the 
whole  of  the  judicial,  fiscal,  and  magisterial  duties  which 
devolve  upon  the  Government  of  a  country  in  Europe, 
with  the  addition  of  collecting  from  the  cultivators  and 
landholders  the  rent  of  all  lands  under  cultivation  and 
pasture,  and  the  duties  which  in  Europe  devolve  on  an 
owner  of  landed  property.  Police,  jails,  quarter-sessions, 
committals  to  prison,  jury,  judge,  excise,  stamps,  taxes, 
roads,  bridges,  ferries,  woods  and  forests,  and  finally  rent ! 
think  what  these  imply,  and  you  will  form  some  idea  of 
the  employment  of  an  official  in  the  Punjaub  under  the 
"  Board  of  Administration."  I  have  not  yet  dipped  very 
deep  into  this  turbid  stream  of  ever-recurring  work,  since 
the  great  amount  of  arrears  consequent  on  the  break-up 
of  one  Government,  and  the  establishment  of  another, 
including  the  paying-up  and  discharge  of  vast  civil  and 
military  establishments,  have  rendered  it  necessary  to  em 
ploy  any  available  head  and  pair  of  hands  for  some 
months  at  head-quarters.  The  army  has  fallen  to  my 
share,  and  I  have  to  examine  into  the  claims  of  innumer 
able  fine  old  hangers-on  of  the  Lahore  State  to  grants  or 
pensions,  to  record  their  rights,  and  report  on  them  for 
the  decision  of  Government.  Then  there  are  upwards  of 
2,000  old  women,  wives  and  mothers  of  soldiers  killed  in 
war,  whom  I  have  to  see  and  pay  the  pittance  decreed  by 
their  masters.  Lord  Dalhousie,  and  his  secretaries  and 
officials,  are  stern  and  hard  taskmasters,  and  are  not  un 
worthily  represented  by  the  new  Board,  the  only  merciful 


150  UMRITSUR. 

member  of  which  (Sir  H.  Lawrence)  is  left  in  a  minority, 
and  is,  moreover,  too  ill  to  do  much. 


CAMP,  PATANKOTE,  Jan.  21st,  1850. 

I  at  length  got  away  from  Lahore  on  the  7th.  I  had 
been  ordered  merely  to  seek  change  of  air,  but  Sir  H. 
Lawrence  was  starting  on  a  long  tour  of  inspection,  and 
offered  me  the  option  of  accompanying  him,  and  doing  a 
little  work  by  the  way,  which  I  very  much  preferred  ;  so 
here  we  are,  after  visiting  the  sacred  city  of  Umritsur, 
and  the  scenes  of  my  last  year's  adventures  in  Butala, 
Deenanuggur,  and  Shahpoor,  all  between  the  Ravee  and 
Beas  ;  and  are  now  on  our  way  to  the  mountain  stations 
of  Kangra,  &c.  We  then  go  to  the  westward  again,  and 
I  hope  to  see 

Our  coursers  graze  at  ease, 

Beyond  the  blue  Borysthenes, 

as  I  have  dubbed  the  Indus,  ere  we  again  return  to  civil 
life,  which  does  not  suit  my  temperament  or  taste  half  as 
well  as  this  more  nomad  life.  I  am  able  to  ride  again, 
though  not  quite  with  the  same  firmness,  in  the  saddle  as 
of  yore.  I  have  no  doubt,  however,  that  ere  we  do  see. 
the  "  Borysthenes,"  I  shall  be  as  "  game  "  for  a  gallop  of 
one  hundred  miles  on  end,  as  I  was  last  year  at  this  sea 
son. 


UMRITSUR,  March  4th,  1850. 

I  am  at  last  in  a  fair  way  of  being  stationary  for  a  time 
at  Umritsur,  the  sacred  city  of  the  Sikhs,  and  a  creation 
entirely  of  their  genius.  Lahore,  as  of  course  you  know, 


GETTING  "ACCLIMATIZED."  151 

was  the  old  Mussulman  capital,  and  was  not  built  by  the 
Sikhs,  though  used  by  them  as  the  seat  of  government 
and  head-quarters  of  the  army.  Umritsur  is  larger  than 
Lahore  by  a  third  or  more  of  people,  and  half  as  much 
again  of  space.  It  is  five  miles  in  circumference,  very 
strongly  fortified,  and  covered  by  the  fortress  of  Govind- 
ghur  on  the  west,  and  by  a  large  fortified  garden  on  the 
north.  I  am  Assistant  Commissioner  under  the  Deputy 
Commissioner  in  charge  of  the  district,  Mr.  Saunders,  a 
civilian,  a  very  nice  soil  of  fellow,  with  an  exceedingly 
pretty  and  nice  wife.  Mr.  Montgomery  is  our  Commis 
sioner.  I  like  all  I  have  seen  of  him  very  much  indeed. 
He  is  a  very  able  man,  and  at  the  head  of  his  service  in 
many  respects.  Lahore  is  only  about  thirty-five  miles 
hence,  —  quite  within  visiting  distance  in  India. 

You  must  not  talk  of  getting  "  acclimatized."  There 
is  no  way  of  becoming  so  but  by  avoiding  the  climate  as 
much  as  possible.  I  have  had  a  bad  time  of  it  since  I 
left  Peshawur,  three  and  a  half  months  almost  entirely 
on  my  back,  which  reduced  me  terribly.  Then  just  as  I 
was  getting  well,  the  other  day  I  had  a  fit  of  jaundice, 
which  has  only  just  left  me  ;  altogether,  in  health  and  in 
prospects  I  have  come  "  down  in  my  luck "  to  a  consid 
erable  extent ;  not  that,  per  se,  I  ought,  as  a  subaltern  of 
not  quite  five  years'  service,  to  grumble  at  my  present 
position,  if  I  was  now  starting  in  the  line  for  the  first 
time  ;  but  I  can't  forget  that  I  came  into  the  Punjaub  two 
years  and  a  half  ago,  and  have  had  no  little  of  the  "  bur 
den  and  heat  of  the  day  "  to  bear,  when  to  do  so  required 
utter  disregard  of  comfort  and  personal  safety  and  of  rest. 
It  is  now  two  years  since  I  was  made  an  Assistant  to  the 
Resident,  and  within  a  few  months  of  that  time  I  took 
absolute  charge  of  a  tract  of  country  (in  a  state  of  war, 


152  SERVICES  IN  PUNJAUB. 

too)  comprising  three  modern  districts,  in  one  of  which  1 
am  now  playing  third  fiddle.  Surely  annexation  was  a 
"  heavy  blow  and  a  great  discouragement "  to  me,  at 
least.  In  the  military  line,  too,  I  have  been  equally  un 
lucky,  from  the  fact  of  my  services  having  been  with  de 
tachments  instead  of  with  the  main  army.  I  held  my 
ground  (and  cleared  it  of  the  enemy,  too)  for  weeks,  with 
only  120  men  at  my  back,  and  when  every  officer,  from 
General  Wheeler  downwards,  entreated  me  to  withdraw 
and  give  it  up ;  I  fed  5,000  men  and  horses  for  six 
months  by  personal  and  unremitting  exertion ;  collected 
the  revenues  of  the  disturbed  districts,  and  paid  15,000/. 
over  and  above,  into  the  treasury,  from  the  proceeds  of 
property  taken  from  the  rebels.  Besides  this,  I  worked 
for  General  Wheeler  so  satisfactorily,  that  he  has  declared 
publicly  that  he  could  have  done  nothing  without  me.  So 
much  were  the  Sikhs  enraged*  at  my  proceedings,  that 
party  after  party  were  sent  to  "polish  "  me  off,  and  at  one 
time  I  couldn't  stir  about  the  country  without  having  bul 
lets  sent  at  my  head  from  every  bush  and  wall.  How 
ever,  I  need  not  go  on  with  the  catalogue,  I  have  been 
egotistical  enough  as  it  is.  The  "reward"  for  these  ser 
vices  was  losing  my  civil  appointment,  and  being  reduced 
to  half  pay  or  little  more  for  three  months,  and  the  dis 
tinction  of  being  the  only  subaltern  mentioned  in  de 
spatches  for  whom  nothing  has  been  done  either  "in 
pra3senti"  or  "in  prospectu."  "Had  your  name  been 
Hay  or  Ramsay."  said  General  Wheeler  to  me  the  other 

*  Such  an  impression  had  my  brother's  daring  and  activity  pro 
duced  upon  the  minds  of  the  Sikhs,  that  several  years  afterwards  it 
was  found  that  the  Sikh  mothers  still  used  his  name  as  a  threat  of  ter 
ror  to  their  children,  reminding  one  of  the  border  ballad,  — 

Hark  ye,  hark  ye,  do  not  fret  ye, 
The  black  Douglas  shall  not  get  ye. 


SYSTEM   OF   PROMOTION.  153 

day,  "  no  honors,  no  appointments,  no  distinctions  would 
have  been  considered  too  great  to  mark  the  services  you 
have  rendered  to  Government."  Well,  we  shall  live  to 
see  more  wars,  or  I  am  sadly  mistaken,  and  then  —  I 
leave  you  to  finish  the  sentence. 

Speaking  of  the  system  of  the  Indian  army  :  — 

March  18ft,  1850. 

At  the  age  at  which  officers  become  colonels  and  ma 
jors,  not  one  in  fifty  is  able  to  stand  the  wear  and  tear 
of  Indian  service.  They  become  still  more  worn  in  mind 
than  in  body.  All  elasticity  is  gone  ;  all  energy  and  en 
terprise  worn  out ;  they  become,  after  a  fortnight's  cam 
paign,  a  burden  to  themselves,  an  annoyance  to  those 
under  them,  and  a  terror  to  every  one  but  the  enemy ! 
The  officer  who  commanded  the  cavalry  brigade  which 
so  disgraced  the  service  at  Chillian walla,  was  not  able  to 
mount  a  horse  without  the  assistance  of  two  men.  A 
brigadier  of  infantry,  under  whom  I  served  during  the 
three  most  critical  days  of  the  late  war,  could  not  see  his 
regiment  when  I  led  his  horse  by  the  bridle  until  its  nose 
touched  the  bayonets ;  and  even  then  he  said  faintly, 
"  Pray  which  way  are  the  men  facing,  Mr.  Hodson  ? " 
This  is  no  exaggeration,  I  assure  you.  Can  you  wonder 
that  our  troops  have  to  recover  by  desperate  fighting,  and 
with  heavy  loss,  the  advantages  thrown  away  by  the  want 
of  heads  and  eyes  to  lead  them  ? 

A  seniority  service,  like  that  of  the  Company,  is  all 
very  well  for  poor  ^ien  ;  better  still  for  fools,  for  they 
must  rise  equally  wipi  wise  men  ;  but  for  maintaining 
the  discipline  and  efficiency  of  the  army  in  time  of  peace, 
and  hurling  it  on  the  enemy  in  war,  there  never  was  a 
system  which  carried  so  many  evils  on  its  front  and  face. 
7* 


154  DR.    ARNOLD. 

I  speak  strongly,  you  will  say,  for  I  feel  acutely ; 
though  I  am  so  young  a  soldier,  yet  the  whole  of  my 
brief  career  has  been  spent  in  camps,  and  a  year  such  as 
the  last,  spent  in  almost  constant  strife,  and  a  great  part 
of  it  on  detached  and  independent  command,  teaches  one 
lessons  which  thirty  years  of  peaceful  life,  of  parades  and 
cantonments,  would  never  impart. 

There  are  men  of  iron,  like  Napier  and  Radetzky, 
aged  men,  whom  nothing  affects  ;  but  they  are  just  in 
sufficient  numbers  to  prove  the  rule  by  establishing  ex 
ceptions.  Depend  upon  it,  that  for  the  rough  work  of 
war,  especially  in  India,  your  leaders  must  be  young  to 
be  effective. 

If  you  could  but  see  my  beautiful  rough  and  ready 
boys,  with  their  dirt  colored  clothes  and  swarthy  faces, 
lying  in  wait  for  a  Sikh,  I  think  it  would  amuse  you  not 
a  little.  I  must  try  and  send  you  a  picture  of  them. 
Alas !  I  am  no  longer  a  "  Guide,"  but  only  a  big 
wig,  administering  justice,  deciding  disputes,  imprisoning 
thieves,  and  assisting  to  hang  highwaymen,  like  any  other 
poor  old,  fat,  respectable,  humdrum  justice  of  the  peace 
in  Old  England. 

UMRITSUK,  April  5th,  1850. 

I  quite  agree  wit]j  all  you  say  about  Arnold.  His  loss 
was  a  national  misfortune.  Had  he  lived,  he  would  have 
produced  an  impression  on  men's  minds  whose  effects 
would  have  been  felt  for  ages.  As  it  is,  the  influence 
which  he  did  produce  has  been  most  lasting  and  striking 
in  its  effects.  It  is  felt  even  in  India  ;  I  cannot  say  more 
than  that. 

You  should  come  and  live  in  India  for  five  years  if  you 
wished  to  feel  (supposing  you  ever  doubted  it)  the  benefit 


INFLUENCE   OF   OUTWARD   FORMS.  155 

of  our  "  established  "  forms  of  Christianity.  Even  the 
outward  signs  and  tokens  of  its  profession  —  cathedrals, 
churches,  colleges,  tombs,  hospitals,  almshouses  —  have, 
I  am  now  more  than  ever  convinced,  an  influence  on 
men's  minds  and  principles  and  actions  which  none  but 
those  who  have  been  removed  from  their  influence  for 
years  can  feel  or  appreciate  thoroughly.  The  more  I 
think  of  this,  the  more  strongly  I  feel  the  effect  of  mere 
external  sights  and  sounds  on  the  inner  and  better  man. 
Our  Gothic  buildings,  our  religious-looking  churches,  have, 
I  am  sure,  a  more  restraining  and  pacifying  influence  than 
is  generally  believed  by  those  who  are  habituated  to  them, 
and  have  never  felt  the  want  of  them.  A  few  cathedrals 
and  venerable-looking  edifices  would  do  wonders  in  our 
colonies.  Here  we  have  nothing  physical  to  remind  us 
of  any  creed  but  Islamism  and  Hindooism.  The  com 
parative  purity  of  the  Moslem's  creed  is  shown  admirably 
in  the  superiority  in  taste  and  form  of  their  places  of 
prayer.  Christianity  alone  is  thrust  out  of  sight !  A 
barrack-room,  a  ball-room,  a  dining-room,  perhaps  a  court 
of  justice,  serve  the  purpose  for  which  the  "  wisdom  and 
piety  of  our  ancestors  "  constructed  such  noble  and  stately 
temples  ;  feeling,  justly,  that  the  human  mind  in  its  weak 
ness  required  to  be  called  to  the  exercise  of  devotion  by 
the  senses  as  well  as  by  reason  and  will ;  that  separation 
from  the  ordinary  scenes  of  every-day  life,  its  cares,  its 
toils,  its  amusements,  is  necessary  to  train  the  feelings 
and  thoughts  to  that  state  in  which  religious  impressions 
are  conveyed.  I  have  not  seen  a  church  for  three  years 
and  more,  nor  heard  the  service  of  the  Church  read,  save 
at  intervals,  in  a  room  in  which,  perhaps,  the  night  before, 
I  had  been  crushed  by  a  great  dinner  party,  or  worn  out 
by  the  bustle  and  turmoil  of  suitors.  The  building  in 
vvhich  one  toils  becomes  intimately  associated  with  the 


156  SIR   C.   NAPIER. 

toil  itself.  That  in  which  one  prays  should  at  least  have 
some  attribute  to  remind  one  of  prayer.  Human  nature 
shrinks  for  long  from  the  thought  of  being  buried  in  any 
but  consecrated  ground  ;  the  certainty  of  lying  dead  some 
day  or  other  on  a  field  of  battle,  or  by  a  roadside,  has,  I 
have  remarked,  the  most  strange  effect  on  the  soldier's 
mind.  Depend  upon  it  the  same  feeling  holds  good  with 
regard  to  consecrated  places  of  worship.  You  may  think 
this  fanciful,  but  I  am  sure  you  would  feel  it  more  strongly 
than  I  do,  were  you  to  live  for  a  time  in  a  country  where 
everything  but  religion  has  its  living  and  existent  memo 
rials  and  evidences. 

But  to  return  to  reality :  I  have  just  spent  three  days 
in  Sir  Charles  Napier's  camp,  it  being  my  duty  to  accom 
pany  him  through  such  parts  of  the  civil  district  as  he 
may  have  occasion  to  visit.  He  was  most  kind  and  cor 
dial,  vastly  amusing  and  interesting,  and  gave  me  even  a 
higher  opinion  of  him  than  before.  To  be  sure  his  lan 
guage  and  mode  of  expressing  himself  savor  more  of 
the  last  than  of  this  century,  —  of  the  camp  than  of  the 
court ;  but  barring  these  eccentricities,  he  is  a  wonderful 
man  ;  his  heart  is  as  thoroughly  in  his  work,  and  he  takes 
as  high  a  tone  in  all  that  concerns  it,  as  Arnold  did  in  his  ; 
that  is  to  say,  the  highest  the  subject  is  capable  of.  I  only 
trust  he  will  remain  with  us  as  long  as  his  health  lasts, 
and  endeavor  to  rouse  the  army  from  the  state  of  slack 
discipline  into  which  it  has  fallen.  On  my  parting  with 
him  he  said,  "  Now,  remember,  Hodson,  if  there  is  any 
way  in  which  I  can  be  of  use  to  you,  pray  don't  scruple  to 
write  to  me."  I  didn't  show  him  his  brother's  *  letter,  — 
that  he  might  judge  for  himself  first,  and  know  me  "  per 
se,"  or  rather  "  per  me ; "  I  will,  however,  if  ever  I  see 
him  again. 

*  Sir  W.  Napier. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TOUR     IN     CASHMERE     AND     THIBET     WITH     SIR     HENRT 

LAWRENCE. PROMOTION     AND    TRANSFER     TO     CIS- 

SUTLEJ    PROVINCES. 

CAMP,  EN  ROUTE  TO  CASHMERE,  June  Wth,  1850. 
YOUR  letter  from  Paris  reached  me  just  as  I  was 
preparing  to  start  from  Umritsur  to  join  Sir  Henry 
Lawrence,  and  accompany  him  to  Cashmere.  I  fought 
against  the  necessity  of  leave  as  long  as  possible,  but  I 
was  getting  worse  and  worse  daily,  and  so  much  weak 
ened  from  the  effects  of  heat  and  hard  work  acting  on  a 
frame  already  reduced  by  sickness,  that  I  was  compelled 
to  be  off  ere  worse  came.  We  yesterday  arrived  at  the 
summit  of  the  first  high  ridge  southward  of  the  snowy 
range,  and  have  now  only  some  sixty  miles  to  traverse 
before  entering  the  valley.  To  me,  travelling  is  life,  and 
in  a  country  where  one  has  no  home,  no  local  attractions, 
and  no  special  sympathies,  it  is  the  greatest  comfort  in 
the  world.  I  get  terribly  ennuye  if  I  am  in  one  place 
for  three  months  at  a  time ;  yet  I  think  I  should  be  just 
as  tame  as  ever  in  England,  quite  domestic  again. 


CASHMERE,  July  8th,  1850. 

You  would  enjoy  this  lovely  valley  extremely.     I  did 
not  know  it  was  so  beautiful,  having  only  seen  it  before 


158  CASHMERE. 

in  its  winter  dress.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  luxuriant 
beauty  of  the  vegetation,  the  plane-trees  and  walnuts  espe 
cially,  except  the  squalor,  dirt,  and  poverty  of  the  wretch 
ed  Cashmerians.  The  King  is  avaricious,  and  is  old. 
The  disease  grows  on  him,  and  he  wont  look  beyond  his 
money-bags.  There  is  a  capitation  tax  on  every  individ 
ual  practising  any  labor,  trade,  profession,  or  employ 
ment,  collected  daily.  Fancy  the  Londoners  having  to 
go  and  pay  a  fourpenny  and  a  sixpenny  bit  each,  per 
diem,  for  the  pleasure  of  living  in  the  town.  Then  the 
tax  on  all  shawls,  goods,  and  fabrics,  is  about  seventy-five 
per  cent.,  including  custom  duty  ;  and  this  the  one  soli 
tary  staple  of  the  valley.  The  chief  crops  are  rice,  and 
of  this,  what  with  one  half  taken  at  a  slap  as  "  revenue," 
or  rent,  and  sundry  other  pulls  for  dues,  taxes,  and  offer 
ings,  so  little  remains  to  the  farmer,  that  in  practice  he 
pays  all,  or  within  a  few  bushels  of  all,  his  produce  to 
the  King,  and  secures  in  return  his  food,  and  that  not  of 
the  best.  Thus  the  farmer  class,  or  "  Zemindars,"  are 
reduced  pretty  well  to  the  state  of  day-laborers  ;  yet  the 
people  are  all  well  clothed,  and  fuel  is  to  be  had  for  the 
asking.  What  a  garden  it  might  be  made.  Not  an  acre 
to  which  the  finest  water  might  not  be  conveyed  without 
expense  worth  naming,  and  a  climate  where  all  produce 
comes  to  perfection,  from  wheat  and  barley  to  grapes  and 
silk.  We  go  northwards  on  the  20th,  first  to  Ladakh 
and  Thibet,  thence  to  Iskardo,  and  then  across  the  Indus 
to  Gilghit,  a  terra  incognita  to  which,  I  believe,  only  one 
European  now  living  has  penetrated.  Sir  Henry  Law 
rence  is  not  well,  and  certainly  not  up  to  this  trip,  but  he 
has  made  up  his  mind  to  go.  I  do  not  gain  strength  as 
fast  as  I  could  wish,  but  I  fancy  when  once  thoroughly 
unstrung,  it  takes  a  long  time  to  recover  the  wonted  tone. 


THIBET.  159 

We  shall  have  another  frontier  war  in  the  cold  weather 
evidently,  and  I  fancy  a  more  prolonged  and  complete 
affair  than  the  last.  The  cause  of  the  only  loss  sustained 
in  the  last  scrimmage  was  the  panic  of  the  Sepoys. 
They  are  as  children  in  the  hands  of  these  Affghans  and 
hill  tribes.  Our  new  Punjaub  levies  fought  "  like  bricks," 
but  the  Hindostanee  is  not  a  hardy  enough  animal,  phys 
ically  or  morally,  to  contend  with  the  sturdier  races  west 
of  the  Sutlej,  or  the  active  and  fighting  "  Pathans."  The 
very  name  sticks  in  John  Sepoy's  throat.  I  must  try  and 
see  the  next  contest,  but  I  do  not  quite  see  my  way  to 
it  at  present. 

To  his  Sister. 

CAMP,  NEAR  LADAKH,  August  4iA,  1850. 

Who  would  have  thought  of  my  writing  to  you  from 
Thibet.  I  am  sitting  in  a  little  tent  about  eight  feet  long, 
which  just  takes  a  narrow  cot,  a  table,  and  chair  of  camp 
dimensions,  and  my  sac-de-nuit,  gun,  &c.,  and  a  tin  box 
containing  books,  papers,  and  the  materials  for  this  pres 
ent  epistle.  Under  the  same  tree  (a  veritable  chestnut) 
is  Sir  Henry  Lawrence's  tent,  a  ditto  of  mine,  in  which 
he  is  comfortably  sleeping,  as  I  ought  to  be  ;  outside  are 
my  pets,  —  that  is,  a  string  of  mules  who  accompany  me 
in  all  my  travels,  and  have  also  in  the  mountains  the 
honor  of  carrying  me  as  well  as  my  baggage.  The 
kitchen  is  under  a  neighboring  tree  ;  and  round  a  fire  are 
squatting  our  gallant  guards,  a  party  of  Maharaja  Gholab 
Singh's  household  brigade.  Some  of  his  people  accom 
pany  us,  and  what  with  followers,  a  Moonshee  or  two  for 
business,  and  their  followers,  I  dare  say  we  are  a  party 
of  two  or  three  hundred  souls,  of  all  colors  and  creeds,  — 


160  STRANGE   MEETING. 

Christians,  Mussulmans,  Hindoos,  Buddhists,  Sikhs,  and 
varieties  of  each.  The  creeds  of  the  party  are  as  varied 
as  their  colors ;  and  that's  saying  a  good  deal,  when  you 
contrast  my  white  face  and  yellow  hair  with  Sir  Henry's 
nut-brown,  the  pale  white  parchrnenty-color  of  the  Kash- 
meree,  the  honest  brunette  tinge  of  the  tall  Sikh,  the  clear 
olive-brown  of  the  Rajpoot,  down  through  all  shades  of 
dinginess  to  the  deep  black  of  the  low-caste  Hindoo.  I 
am  one  of  the  whitest  men  in  India,  I  fancy,  as,  instead 
of  burning  in  the  sun,  I  get  blanched  like  endive  or 
celery.  How  you  would  stare  at  my  long  beard,  mous 
tache,  and  whiskers.  However,  to  return  from  such  per 
sonalities  to  facts.  The  Indus  is  brawling  along  five 
hundred  feet  below  us,  as  if  in  a  hurry  to  get  "  out  of 
that ; "  and  above,  one?s  neck  aches  with  trying  to  see  to 
the  top  of  the  vast  craggy  mountains  which  confine  the 
stream  in  its  rocky  channel.  So  wild,  so  heaven-forsaken 
a  scene  I  never  beheld;  living  nature  there  is  none. 
In  a  week's  journey,  I  have  seen  three  marmots,  two 
wag-tails,  and  three  jackdaws  ;  and  we  have  averaged 
twenty  miles  a  day. 

We  met  a  lady  the  other  day,  in  the  most  romantic 
way  possible,  in  the  midst  of  the  very  wildest  of  glens, 
and  almost  as  wild  weather.  She  is  a  young  and  very 
pretty  creature,  gifted  with  the  most  indomitable  energy 
and  endurance  (except  as  regards  her  husband,  whom  she 
can't  endure,  and  therefore  travels  alone).  But  conceive, 
that  for  the  last  three  months  she  has  been  making  her 
way  on  pony-back  across  a  country  which  few  men  would 
like  to  traverse,  over  the  most  formidable  passes,  the 
deepest  and  rapidest  rivers,  and  wildest  deserts  in  Asia. 
For  twenty  days  she  was  in  the  extreme  wilds  of  Thibet, 
without  ever  seeing  a  human  habitation  ;  making  such 


THIBET.  161 

long  day's  journeys  as  often  to  be  without  food  or  bed 
ding,  traversing  passes  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  where  you  can  hardly  breathe  without 
pain ;  enduring  pain,  sickness,  and  every  other  mortal  ill, 
yet  persevering  still !  Poor  creature,  she  is  dying,  I  fear. 
It  is  evident  that  she  is  in  a  deep  consumption,  created 
by  a  terrible  fall  she  had  down  a  precipice,  at  the  com 
mencement  of  her  journey.  Well,  one  day  we  met  her 
between  this  place  and  Cashmere.  She  was  sixteen  or 
twenty  miles  from  her  tents,  and  the  rain  and  darkness 
were  coming  on  apace;  the  thermometer  down  below 
fifty  degrees.  So  we  persuaded  her  to  stop  at  our  en 
campment.  I  gave  her  my  tent  and  cot,  acted  lady's 
maid,  supplied  her  with  warm  stockings  and  shoes, 
water,  towels,  brushes,  &c.,  and  made  her  comfortable, 
and  then  we  sat  down  to  dinner ;  and  a  pleasanter 
evening  I  never  spent.  She  was  as  gay  as  a  lark,  and 
poured  out  stores  of  information  and  anecdotes,  and 
recounted  her  adventures  in  the  "  spiritedest "  manner. 
After  an  early  breakfast  the  next  morning,  I  put  her  on 
her  pony,  and  she  went  on  her  way,  and  we  saw  her  no 
more.  I  hope  she  will  live  to  reach  the  end  of  her 
journey,  and  not  die  in  some  wild  mountain-side  unat 
tended  and  alone. 

Another  letter  of  same  date  :  — 


CAMP,  KULSEE  IN  LADAKH,  August  4$,  1850. 
•  •  •  •  Until  you  cross  the  mountain  chain  which  sep 
arates  Cashmere  from  Tibet  (or  Thibet),  all  is  green  and 
beautiful.  It  is  impossible  to  imagine  a  finer  combination 
of  vast  peaks  and  masses  of  mountain,  with  green  sloping 
lawns,  luxuriant  foliage,  and  fine  clustering  woods,  than 


162  LLAMA  MONASTERIES. 

is  displayed  on  the  sides  of  the  great  chain  which  we 
usually  call  the  Himalaya,  but  which  is  better  described 
as  the  ridge  which  separates  the  waters  of  the  Jhelum, 
Chenab,  Ravee,  and  Beas  from  those  of  the  Indus. 
When  once,  however,  you  have  crossed  this  vast  barrier, 
the  scene  changes  as  if  by  magic,  and  you  have  nothing 
but  huge  convulsive-looking  masses  of  rock,  tremendous 
mountains,  glaciers,  snow,  and  valleys  which  are  more 
vast  watercourses  than  anything  else.  On  the  more  open 
and  less  elevated  spots  along  these  various  feeders  of  the 
Indus,  one  comes  to  little  patches  of  cultivation,  rising 
from  the  banks  of  the  rivers  in  tiers  of  carefully  pre 
pared  terraces,  and  irrigated  by  channels  carried  along 
the  sides  of  the  hill  from  a  point  higher  up  the  stream. 
Here,  in  scattered  villages  ten  and  twenty  miles  apart, 
live  the  ugliest  race  on  earth,  I  should  imagine,  whom 
we  call  Thibetians,  but  who  style  themselves  "  Bhots  "  or 
"  Bhods,"  and  unite  the  characteristic  features,  or  rather 
want  of  them,  of  both  Goorkhas  and  Chinese.  I  went 
yesterday  to  see  a  monastery  of  their  Llamas,  the  most 
curious  sight,  as  well  as  site,  I  ever  beheld.  Perched  on 
the  summit  of  a  mass  of  sandstone-grit,  conglomerate 
pudding-stone,  worn  by  the  melting  snows  (for  there  is 
no  rain  in  Tibet)  into  miraculous  cones,  steeples,  and  pin 
nacles  rising  abruptly  from  the  valley  to  the  height  of 
600  feet,  are  a  collection  of  queer  little  huts,  connected 
together  by  bridges,  passages,  and  staircases.  In  these 
dwell  the  worthies  who  have  betaken  themselves  to  the 
life  of  religious  mendicants  and  priests.  They  seem  to 
correspond  exactly  with  the  travelling  friars  of  olden 
times.  Half  stay  at  home  to  perform  chants  and  services 
in  their  convent  chapel,  and  half  go  a-begging  about  the 
country.  They  are  not  a  distinct  race  like  the  Brahmins 


LLAMA  MONASTERIES.  163 

of  India,  but  each  Bhot  peasant  devotes  one  of  two  or 
three  sons  to  the  church,  and  he  is  thenceforward  devoted 
to  a  life  of  celibacy,  of  shaven  crown,  of  crimson  apparel, 
of  mendicancy,  of  idleness,  and  of  comfort.  They  all 
acknowledge  spiritual  allegiance  to  the  great  Llama  at 
Llassa  (some  two  months'  journey  from  Ladakh),  by 
whom  the  abbot  of  each  convent  is  appointed  on  a  va 
cancy  occurring,  and  to  whom  all  their  proceedings  are 
reported.  Nunneries  also  exist  on  precisely  the  same 
footing.  I  saw  a  few  of  the  nuns,  and  their  hideous  ap 
pearance  fully  justified  their  adoption  of  celibacy  and 
seclusion.  From  their  connection  with  almost  every 
family,  as  I  have  said,  they  are  universally  looked  up  to 
and  supported  as  a  class  by  the  people.  Even  Hindoos 
reverence  them ;  and  their  power  is  not  only  feared,  but 
I  fancy  tolerably  freely  exercised.  Their  chapel  (a  flat- 
roofed  square  building  supported  on  pillars)  is  furnished 
with  parallel  rows  of  low  benches  to  receive  the  squatting 
fathers.  Their  services  consist  of  chants  and  recitative, 
accompanied  by  the  discord  of  musical  (?)  instruments  and 
drums,  while  perpetual  lamps  burn  on  the  altars  before 
their  idols,  and  a  sickly  perfume  fills  the  air.  Round  the 
room  are  rude  shelves  containing  numberless  volumes  of 
religious  books  ;  not  bound,  but  in  separate  leaves  secured 
between  two  painted  boards.  I  will  try  and  send  you 
one,  if  I  can  corrupt  the  mind  of  some  worthy  Llama 
with  profane  silver.  They  are  genuine  block  books, 
strange  to  say,  apparently  carved  on  wood,  and  then 
stamped  on  a  Chinese  paper.  The  figures  of  their  iin 
ages,  and  their  costume  and  head-dress  (i.  e.,  of  the  im 
ages),  are  Chinese  entirely,  not  at  all  resembling  the 
Bhot  dress,  or  scarcely  so,  and  though  fashioned  by 
Thibetian  hands,  you  might  fancy  yourself  gazing  on  the 


164  JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO. 

figures  in  the  Chinese  Exhibition  at  Hyde-Park  Corner. 
Their  language  is  a  sealed  book  to  me,  of  course,  and 
though  they  all  read  and  write  well,  yet  they  were  un 
able  to  explain  the  meaning  of  the  words  they  were 
repeating.  The  exterior  appearance  and  sites  of  their 
conventual  buildings  reminded  me  very  strongly  of  the 
drawings  I  saw  in  a  copy  of  Curzon's  "  Monasteries  of  the 
Levant,"  which  fell  in  my  way  for  five  minutes  one  day. 
I  need  hardly  say  that,  in  a  country  composed  of  moun 
tains  ranging  from  14,000  feet  upwards,  the  scenery  is 
magnificent  in  the  extreme,  though  very  barren  and 
savage.  Apricots  and  wheat  are  ripening  in  the  valley 
whence  I  now  write  (on  the  right  bank  of  the  Indus, 
some  fifty  miles  below  the  town  of  Ladakh),  and  snow  is 
glistening  on  the  summits  above  me;  the  roads  have 
been  very  easy  indeed,  and  enabled  us  to  make  long 
day's  marches,  from  sixteen  to  twenty-five  miles.  This 
is  more  than  you  could  do  in  two  days  in  the  ranges 
south  of  the  Himalaya,  with  due  regard  for  your  own 
bones,  and  the  cattle  or  porters  which  carry  your  traps 
and  tents.  I  am  very  seedy,  and  twenty  miles  is  more 
than  I  can  ride  with  comfort  (that  I  should  live  to  say 
it).  I  have  not  as  yet  derived  much,  if  any,  benefit  from 
change  of  climate. 

From  Ladakh  we  go  to  Iskardo,  some  twelve  marches 
lower  down  the  Indus,  where  it  has  been  joined  by  the 
water  of  Yarkund ;  and  thence  to  Gilghit,  a  valley  run 
ning  up  from  that  of  the  Indus,  still  lower  down,  and 
bordering  on  Budakhstan.  We  (Sir  Plenry  Lawrence 
and  I)  then  return  to  Cashmere ;  I  expect  it  will  be  two 
more  months'  journey.  We  have  already  been  out  a 
fortnight,  and  it  is  very  fatiguing.  I  am  not  sure  that  I 
was  wise  in  undertaking  it,  but  he  (Lawrence)  is  a 


LADAKH.  165 

greater  invalid  than  I  am,  and  two  or  three  men  fought 
shy  of  the  task  of  accompanying  him. 


CAMP,  ISKARDO  (IN  LITTLE  THIBET,) 

August,  25th,  1850. 

Only  think  of  my  sitting  down  peaceably  to  write  to 
you  from  this  outside  world.  Had  I  lived  a  hundred 
years  ago,  I  should  have  been  deemed  a  great  traveller, 
and  considered  to  have  explored  unknown  countries,  and 
unknown  they  are,  only  the  principal  danger  of  visiting 
them  is  past,  seeing  that  they  have  been  subdued  by  a 
power  (Gholab  Singh)  with  whom  we  have  "relations." 
Yet  if  I  were  to  cross  the  mountains  which  stare  me  in 
the  face  a  few  miles  off,  I  should  be  carried  off  and  sold 
for  a  slave.  It  were  vain  to  try  to  compress  the  scenes 
of  a  two  months'  journey  into  a  sheet  of  note-paper.  We 
have  travelled  very  rapidly.  Few  men  go  the  pace  Sir 
Henry  Lawrence  does.  So  we  have  covered  a  great  ex 
tent  of  country  in  the  past  month  ;  and  seeing  that  the 
valleys  are  the  only  inhabited  parts  of  the  country,  the 
rest  being  huge  masses  of  mountains,  one  really  sees  in 
these  rapid  flights  all  that  is  to  be  seen  of  the  abodes  of 
man.  We  have  collected  a  good  deal  of  information  too, 
which,  if  I  had  time  to  arrange  it,  might  be  of  value. 
We  were  eleven  long  days'  journey  from  Cashmere  to 
Ladakh,  besides  halts  on  the  way  at  Ladakh  itself,  or,  as 
the  people  call  it,  Leh.  We  remained  a  week,  and  saw 
all  the  "  foreigners  "  who  came  there  to  sell  furs  and  silk. 
It  is  called  the  "  Great  Emporium  "  of  trade  between 
Yarkund  and  Kashgar  and  Llassa,  and  Hindostan.  Fine 
words  look  well  on  paper,  but  to  my  unsophisticated  mind 


166  LADAKH. 

the  "  leading  merchants  "  seemed  peddlers,  and  the  "  Em 
porium  "  to  be  a  brace  of  hucksters'  shops.  However,  'tis 
curious,  that's  a  fact,  to  see  (and  talk  to)  a  set  of  men 
who  have  got  their  goods  from  the  yellow-haired  Russians 
at  the  Nishni-Novogorod  fair,  and  brought  them  across 
Asia  to  sell  at  Ladakh.  It  is  forty  days'  journey,  of  al 
most  a  continuous  desert,  for  these  caravans  from  Yarkund 
to  Leh ;  and  there  is  no  small  danger  to  life  and  limb  by 
the  way.  The  current  coin  is  lumps  of  Chinese  sycee 
silver  of  two  pounds'  weight  each.  I  bought  a  Persian 
horse  for-  the  journey,  and  paid  for  it  in  solid  silver  four 
pounds*  weight :  166  rupees,  or  about  16/.  I  shall  sell  it 
for  double  the  money  when  the  journey  is  over.  Leh  is 
a  small  town,  of  not  more  than  400  houses,  on  a  project 
ing  promontory  of  rock  stretching  out  into  the  valley 
formed  by  one  of  the  small  feeders  of  the  Indus.  For 
the  people,  they  are  Bodhs,  and  wear  tails,  and  have  flat 
features  like  the  Chinese,  and  black  garments.  The 
women,  unlike  other  Asiatics  whom  I  have  seen,  go  about 
the  streets  openly,  as  in  civilized  countries ;  but  they  are 
an  ugly  race,  and  withal  dirty  to  an  absolutely  unparal 
leled  extent.  They  wear  no  head-dress,  but  plait  their 
masses  of  black  hair  into  sundry  tails  half  way  down 
their  backs.  Covering  the  division  of  the  hair  from  the 
forehead  back  and  down  the  shoulders,  is  a  narrow 
leathern  strap,  universally  adorned  with  rough  turquoises 
and  bits  of  gold  or  silver.  The  old  Ranee  whom  we 
called  upon  had  on  this  strap  (in  her  case  a  broader  one, 
about  three  fingers  wide)  156  large  turquoises,  worth 
some  hundreds  of  pounds.  Over  their  ears  they  wear 
flaps  of  fur  which  project  forward  with  precisely  the 
effect  of  blinkers  on  a  horse. 

The  climate  is  delightful ;  it  never  rains  ;  the  sky  is 


ISKARDO.  167 

blue  to  a  fault,  and  snow  only  falls  sparingly  in  winter, 
though  the  climate  is  cold,  being  10,000  feet  (they  say) 
above  the  sea.  In  boiling  water  the  thermometer  was 
only  188°.  I  never  felt  a  more  exhilarating  air.  That 
one  week  quite  set  me  up,  and  I  have  been  better  ever 
since.  The  Llamas  or  monks,  with  their  red  cardinal's 
hats  and  crimson  robes,  look  very  imposing  and  monastic, 
quite  a  travesty  of  the  regular  clergy,  and  they  blow  just 
such  trumpets  as  Fame  does  on  monuments  in  country 
churches.  Jolly  friars  they  are,  and  fat  to  a  man.  From 
Leh  we  crossed  the  mountain  ridge  which  sepau^es  the 
two  streams  of  the  Indus,  and  descended  the  northern  (or 
right)  stream  to  this  place,  the  capital  of  Bultistan  or 
Little  Thibet.  It  is  a  genuine  humbug.  In  the  middle 
of  a  fine  valley,  some  6,000  feet  above  the  sea,  surround 
ed  by  sudden  rising  perpendicular  mountains  6,000  feet 
higher,  stands  an  isolated  rock  washed  by  the  Indus, 
some  two  miles  by  three  quarters:  a  little  Gibraltar. 
The  valley  may  be  ten  miles  by  three,  partially  culti 
vated,  and  inhabited  by  some  200  scattered  houses. 
There's  Iskardo.  There  was  a  fort  on  the  rock,  but  that 
is  gone,  and  all,  as  usual  in  the  East,  bespeaks  havoc ; 
only  nature  is  grand  here.  The  people  are  Mussulmans, 
and  not  Bodhs,  and  are  more  human-looking,  but  not  so 
well  clad.  It  is  warmer  by  far,  much  more  so  than  it 
ought  to  be.  The  thermometer  was  at  92°  in  our  tents 
to-day,  a  thing  for  which  I  cannot  possibly  account,  since 
there  is  snow  now  on  all  sides  of  us.  We  go  hence 
across  the  Steppe  of  Deo  Sole  towards  Cashmere  for  four 
days'  journey,  and  then  strike  westward  to  cross  the  In 
dus  into  Gilghit,  whence  we  return  to  Cashmere  by  the 
end  of  September.  We  have  been  making  very  fast 
marches,  varying  from  sixteen  to  thirty-two  miles  a  day, 


168  SIR  HENRY'S   SUGGESTION 

—  hard  work  in  a  country  with  such  roads,  and  where 
you  must  take  things  with  you.  I  enjoy  it  very  much, 
however,  and  after  a  year's  sickness,  the  feeling  of  return 
ing  health  is  refreshing.  I  shall  return  to  work  again  by 
the  1st  of  December ;  but  I  propose  paying  a  flying  visit 
to  Mr.  Thomason  in  October,  if  possible ;  but  the  dis 
tances  are  so  vast,  and  the  means  of  locomotion  so  absent, 
that  these  things  are  difficult  to  achieve.  I  suppose  I 
have  seen  more  of  the  hill  country  now  than  ninety-nine 
men  out  of  a  hundred  in  India.  Indeed,  not  above  four 
Europeans  have  been  here  before.  But  travelling  suits 
my  restless  spirit.  Sir  Henry  and  I  get  on  famously 
together. 

On  October  7th,  1850,  he  writes  from  Simla  to 
his  father :  — 

I  have  had  a  long  and  fatiguing  march  from  Cashmere 
across  the  mountains  and  the  valleys  of  the  "  five  rivers," 
nearly  four  hundred  miles,  which  I  accomplished  in  fifteen 
days.  I  left  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  in  Cashmere.  I  have 
since  heard  from  him,  urging  me  to  use  all  the  influence  I 
can  muster  up  here  to  procure  a  brevet  majority  in  posse 
(i.  e.  on  attaining  my  regimental  captaincy),  and  a  local 
majority  in  esse  for  "  my  services  in  the  late  war ; "  and 
adding,  that  if  I  did  not  find  civil  employment  to  suit  me, 
he  would,  when  I  had  given  it  a  fair  trial,  try  and  get  me 
the  command  of  one  of  the  regiments  in  the  Punjaub.  I 
am  going  to  consult  Mr.  Thomason  on  the  subject,  and 
will  let  you  know  the  result.  I  hate  the  least  suspicion 
of  toadyism,  and  dislike  asking  favors,  or  I  should  have 
been  better  off  ere  now  ;  but  on  Sir  Henry  Lawrence's 
suggestion,  I  will  certainly  use  any  opportunity  which 


INFLUENCE   OVER   GUIDES.  169 

may  offer.  I  thought,  however,  you  would  be  gratified 
with  the  opinion  which  must  have  dictated  so  perfectly 
spontaneous  an  offer.  I  confess  that  I  very  much  prefer 
the  military  line  myself,  although  I  like  civil  work  much, 
and  it  is  the  road  to  competence.  Nevertheless,  military 
rank  and  distinctions  have  more  charm  for  me  than 
rupees  ;  and  I  would  rather  cut  my  way  to  a  name  and 
poverty  with  the  sword,  than  write  it  to  wealth  with  the 
pen. 

There  is  something  to  me  peculiarly  interesting  in  the 
forming  and  training  soldiers,  and  in  acquiring  that  ex 
traordinary  influence  over  their  minds,  both  by  personal 
volition  and  the  aid  of  discipline,  which  leads  them  on 
through  danger,  even  to  death,  at  your  bidding.  I  felt 
the  enthusiasm  of  this  power  successfully  exerted  with 
the  Guides  during  the  late  war ;  and  having  felt  it,  am 
naturally  inclined  to  take  advantage  of  it  on  future  occa 
sions. 


To  his  Sister. 

SIMLA,  Oct.  21st,  1850. 

It  is  rather  too  late  to  tell  you  "  all  about  Cashmere," 
as  you  desire ;  but  I  can  say  that  I  saw  some  beauties 
this  time  who  were  really  so  to  no  common  extent ;  and 
that  I  was  much  more  pleased  with  the  valley  than  on 
my  first  visit,  which  was  a  winter  one.  If  you  see  what 
wonderfully  out-of-the-way  places  we  got  into,  I  think 
you  will  marvel  that  I  managed  to  write  at  all.  We 
traversed  upwards  of  fifteen  hundred  miles  of  wild  moun 
tainous  countries,  innocent  of  roads,  and  often,  for  days 
together,  of  inhabitants,  and  carrying  our  houses  on  our 
backs.  The  change  to  the  utter  comfort  and  civilization 


170  MR.   THOMASON. 

of  this  house  was  something  "  stunning  ; "  and  I  have  not 
yet  become  quite  reconciled  to  dressing  three  times  a  day, 
black  hat,  and  patent  leather  boots.  I  need  hardly  say, 
however,  that  I  have  very  much  enjoyed  my  visit  and  my 
"  big  talks  "  with  Mr.  Thomason*  He  is  very  gray,  and 
looks  older  than  when  I  saw  him  in  1847,  but  otherwise 
he  is  just  the  same,  working  magnificently,  and  doing 
wonders  for  his  province.  Already  the  Northwest  Prov 
inces  are  a  century  in  advance  of  the  Bengal  Proper 
ones.  As  a  Governor  he  has  not  his  equal ;  and  in  hon 
esty,  high-mindedness,  and  indefatigable  devotion  to  the 
public  good,  he  is  facile  princeps  of  the  whole  Indian  ser 
vice.  Nor  is  there  a  household  in  India  to  match  his, 
indeed,  it  is  about  the  only  "  big-wig "  house  to  which 
people  go  with  pleasure  rather  than  as  a  duty.  I  saw 
Sir  Charles  Napier,  too,  and  dined  with  him  last  week. 
He  is  very  kind  and  pleasant,  and  I  am  very  sorry  on 
public  grounds  that  he  is  going  away. 


KUSSOWLEE,  Nov.  4th,  1850. 

I  had  a  most  pleasant  home-like  visit  to  Mr.  Thomason, 
and  was  most  affectionately  entertained.  He  will  have 
told  you  of  the  power  of  civility  I  met  with  at  Simla  from 
the  "  big-wigs,"  and  that  even  Lord  Dalhousie  waxed 
complimentary,  and  said  that  "  Lumsden  and  Hodson 
were  about  the  best  men  he  had,"  (that  I  write  it  that 
shouldn't !)  and  that  he  promised  to  do  his  best  to  get  me 
a  brevet  majority  as  soon  as  I  became,  in  the  course  of 
time,  a  regimental  captain.  And  Sir  Charles  Napier 
(the  best  abused  man  of  his  day)  was  anxious  to  get  for 
me  the  Staff  appointment  of  Brigade-Major  to  the  Pun- 


APPOINTMENT   TO   CIS-SUTLEJ   STATES.          171 

jaub  Irregular  Force,  —  i.  e.,  of  the  six  newly  raised  cav 
alry  and  infantry  regiments  for  frontier  service.  He  did 
not  succeed,  for  the  berth  had  been  previously  filled  up 
unknown  to  him  ;  but  he  tried  to  do  so,  and  that's  a  com 
pliment  from  such  a  man.  I  hope  I  need  not  say  that 
this  good  deed  of  his  was  as  spontaneous  as  a  mush 
room's  birth. 


To  his  Father. 

KUSSOWLEE,  Nov.  6th. 

I  am  to  be  here  next  year,  I  find,  by  tidings  just  re 
ceived,  which  will  be  a  splendid  thing  for  my  constitution. 
My  connection  with  Umritsur  is  dissolved  by  my  having 
been  appointed  to  act  as  personal  assistant  to  the  Com 
missioner  of  the  Cis-Sutlej  States,  which  is,  I  believe,  a 
piece  of  promotion.  The  great  advantages  are,  first,  the 
capital  opportunity  it  affords  of  experience  in  every  kind 
of  civil  work,  and  of  being  under  a  very  able  man, — 
Mr.  Edmonstone  ;  and  secondly,  that  the  Commissioner's 
head-quarters  are  "  peripatetic "  in  the  cold  weather, 
and  in  the  hills  during  the  remainder  of  the  year.  But 
I  confess  that  I  hanker  after  the  "  Guides  "  as  much  as 
ever,  and  would  catch  at  a  good  opportunity  of  returning  to 
them  with  honor.  I  fear  I  have  been  remiss  in  explana 
tions  on  this  subject.  The  matter  lies  in  this  wise,  —  I 
left  the  Corps  and  took  to  civil  employment  at  the  advice 
of  Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  Mr.  Thomason,  and  others, 
though  against  my  own  feelings  on  the  subject.  The 
man  or  men  who  succeeded  me  are  senior  to  me  in  army 
rank.  When  one  of  them  resigned  six  months  ago,  I 
was  strongly  disposed  and  urged  to  try  and  succeed  to 
the  vacancy.  There  was  a  hitch,  however,  from  the 


172  UMRITSUR. 

cause  I  have  mentioned,  and  Lumsden  was  anxious  that 
his  lieutenants  should  not  be  disgusted  by  supersession. 
I  might  have  had  the  appointment,  but  withdrew  to  avoid 
annoying  Lumsden.  Now,  both  Sir  Henry  Lawrence 
and  Mr.  Thomason  are  very  sorry  that  I  ever  left  the 
Corps,  and  that  they  advised  the  step.  Things  have 
taken  a  different  turn  since  then,  and  it  is  confessedly  the 
best  thing  a  young  soldier  can  aspire  to.  I  know  that  my 
present  line  is  one  which  leads  to  more  pecuniary  advan 
tages  ;  but  the  other  is  the  finer  field,  and  is  far  more 
independent.  I  shall  work  away,  however,  cheerfully  in 
the  civil  line  until  I  see  a  good  opening  in  the  other ;  and 
then,  I  fear  you  will  hardly  persuade  me  that  sitting  at  a 
desk  with  the  thermometer  at  98°  is  better  than  soldier 
ing,  —  i.  e.,  than  commanding  soldiers  made  and  taught  by 
yourself!  I  will  give  you  the  earliest  warning  of  the 
change. 


UMRITSUR,  Nov.  24$,  1850. 

I  returned  here  on  the  16th,  and  have  been  up  to  the 
neck  in  work  ever  since,  having  the  whole  work,  civil, 
criminal,  police,  &c.  &c.,  on  my  shoulders,  Saunders,  the 
Deputy  Commissioner,  my  superior,  being  engaged  danc 
ing  attendance  on  the  Governor- General,  who  is  here  on 
his  annual  tour  of  inspection  ;  and  Macleod,  my  co-assist 
ant,  dead.  Directly  the  Governor- General  has  gone  on 
wards  I  shall  be  relieved  here,  and  join  rny  new  appoint 
ment  with  Mr.  Edmonstone. 


LAHORE.  173 


LAHORE,  Jan.  2c?,  1851. 

I  broke  up  from  Umritsur  early  in  December,  and 
came  into  Lahore  to  join  my  new  chief.  He  did  not 
arrive  till  the  18th,  so  I  had  a  comparative  holiday.  I 
have  got  into  harness,  however,  again  now,  and  am  up  to 
the  elbows  in  work  and  papers.  The  work  is  much  more- 
pleasant  than  that  I  had  at  Umritsur,  and  more  free  from 
mere  routine. 


LAHORE,  Feb.  21st. 

This  is  an  interesting  anniversary  to  many  of  us,  and 
an  overwhelming  one  to  this  country,  —  that  of  the  day 
on  which  "  the  bright  star  of  the  Punjaub  "  set  forever.  It 
has  been  curiously  marked  by  the  announcement,  that  the 
net  balance  of  receipts  over  expenditure  for  the  past  year, 
for  the  newly  acquired  provinces,  has  reached  upwards  of 
a  million  sterling.  Lord  Dalhousie's  star  is  in  the  ascend 
ant.  His  financial  measures  are  apparently  all  good, 
when  tried  by  the  only  standard  admissible  in  the  nine 
teenth  century,  —  their  success. 


KUSSOWLEE,  March  22c?,  1851. 

I  broke  down  again  most  completely  as  soon  as  the 
hot  weather  began,  but  my  flight  to  this  beautiful  climate 
has  wonderfully  refreshed  me.  Talk  of  Indian  luxuries  ! 
There  are  but  two,  cold  water  and  cool  air  !  I  get  on 
very  comfortably  with  my  new  "  Chief."  He  is  a  first- 
rate  man,  and  has  a  most  uncommon  appetite  for  work,  of 
which  there  is  plenty  for  both  of  us.  We  cover  a  good 


174  SOLDIER'S   PROFESSION. 

stretch  of  country  —  comprising  five  British  districts  and 
nine  sovereign  states ;  and  as  the  whole  has  been  in 
grievous  disorder  for  many  years,  and  a  peculiarly  diffi 
cult  population  to  deal  with,  you  may  imagine  that  the 
work  is  not  slight.  My  principal  duty  is  hearing  appeals 
from  orders  and  decisions  by  the  district  officers  in  these 
five  districts.  It  is  of  course  not  "  per  se,"  but  as  the 
Commissioner's  personal  assistant,  that  I  do  this.  I  pre 
pare  a  short  abstract,  with  my  opinion  on  each  case,  and 
he  issues  his  orders  accordingly.  I  was  at  work  a  whole 
day  lately  over  one  case,  which,  after  all,  involved  only  a 
claim  to  about  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  land !  You  will 
give  rae  credit  for  ingenuity  in  discovering  that  the  result 
of  some  half  dozen  quires  of  written  evidence  was  to 
prove  that  neither  of  the  contending  parties  had  any  right 
at  all !  If  that's  not  "  justice  to  Ireland,"  I  don't  know 
what  is  !  I  have  been  staying  with  Captain  Douglas,  and 
I  hope  I  shall  see  a  great  deal  of  him.  There  is  not  a 
better  man  or  more  genuine  soldier  going.  This  may 
appear  faint  praise,  but  rightly  understood,  and  conscien 
tiously  and  boldly  worked  out,  I  doubt  whether  any  other 
profession  calls  forth  the  higher  qualities  of  our  nature 
more  strongly  than  does  that  of  a  soldier  in  times  of 
war  and  tumults.  Certain  it  is  that  it  requires  the  high 
est  order  of  man  to  be  a  good  general,  and  in  the  lower 
ranks,  (in  this  country  especially,)  even  with  all  the 
frightful  drawbacks  and  evils,  I  doubt  whether  the 
Saxon  race  is  ever  so  preeminent,  or  its  good  points 
so  strongly  developed,  as  in  the  "European"  soldier 
serving  in  India,  or  on  service  anywhere. 


KUSSOWLEE.  175 


KUSSOWLEE,  April  7$,  1851. 

I  have  the  nicest  house  here  on  a  level  spot  on  the 
very  summit  of  the  mountain  ridge,  from  which  a  most 
splendid  view  is  obtainable  for  six  months  in  the  year. 
In  the  immediate  foreground  rises  a  round-backed  ridge, 
on  which  stands  the  former  work  of  my  hands,  the  "  Law 
rence  Asylum ;  "  while  to  the  westward,  and  down,  down 
far  off  in  the  interminable  south,  the  wide  glistening 
plains  of  the  Punjaub,  streaked  with  the  faint  ribbon-like 
lines  of  the  Sutlej  and  its  tributaries,  and  the  wider  sea- 
like  expanse  of  Hindostan,  stretch  away  in  unbroken 
evenness  beyond  the  limits  of  vision,  and  almost  beyond 
those  of  faith  and  imagination.  On  the  other  side  you 
look  over  a  mass  of  mountains  up  to  the  topmost  peaks 
of  Himalaya.  So  narrow  is  the  ridge,  that  it  seems  as 
though  you  could  toss  a  pebble  from  one  window  into  the 
Sutlej,  and  from  the  other  into  the  valley  below  Simla.  I 
like  the  place  very  much.  I  have  seven  or  eight  hours' 
work  every  day,  and  the  rest  is  spent  (as  this  one)  in  the 
society  of  the  60th  Rifles,  the  very  nicest  and  most  gentle 
manly  regiment  I  ever  met  with. 


KUSSOWLEE,  May  <ith,  1851. 

Your  budget  of  letters  reached  me  on  the  2d.  It  is 
very  pleasant  to  receive  these  warm  greetings,  and  it  re 
freshes  me  when  bothered,  or  overworked,  or  feverish,  or 
disgusted.  I  look  forward  to  a  visit  to  England  and  home 
with  a  pleasure  which  nothing  but  six  years  of  exile  can 
give. 

The  Governor- General  has  at  last  advanced  me  to  the 


176  KUSSOWLEE. 

higher  grade  of  "  Assistants "  to  Commissioners.  The 
immediate  advantage  is  an  increase  of  pay,  —  the  real 
benefit,  that  it  brings  me  nearer  the  main  step  of  a 
Deputy  Commissioner  in  charge  of  a  district.  It  is  satis 
factory,  not  the  less  so  that  it  was  extorted  from  him  by 
the  unanimity  of  rny  official  superiors  in  pressing  the 
point  upon  him,  Mr.  Edmonstone  having  commenced  at 
tacking  him  in  my  favor  before  I  had  been  under  him 
four  months.  I  am  not  in  love  with  the  kind  of  employ 
ment,  —  I  long  with  no  common  earnestness  for  the  more 
military  duties  of  my  old  friends  the  "  Guides;"  but  I 
am  not  therefore  insensible  to  the  advantages  of  doing 
well  in  this  line  of  work.  Ambition  alone  would  dictate 
this,  for  my  success  in  this  civil  business  (which  is  con 
sidered  the  highest  and  most  arduous  branch  of  the  pub 
lic  service)  almost  insures  my  getting  on  in  any  other 
hereafter. 


To  Rev.  E.  Harland. 

KUSSOWLEE,  June  ll£/z,  1851. 

I  fancy  the  change  is  as  great  in  myself  as  in  either. 
The  old  visions  of  boyhood  have  given  place  to  the  vehe 
ment  aspirations  of  a  military  career  and  the  interests  of 
a  larger  ambition.  I  thirst  now  not  for  the  calm  pleasures 
of  a  country  life,  the  charms  of  society,  or  a  career  of 
ease  and  comfort,  but  for  the  maddening  excitement  of 
war,  the  keen  contest  of  wits  involved  in  dealing  with 
wilder  men,  and  the  exercise  of  power  over  the  many  by 
force  of  the  will  of  the  individual.  Nor  am  I,  I  hope, 
insensible  to  the  vast  field  for  good  and  for  usefulness 
which  these  vast  provinces  offer  to  our  energies,  and  to 
the  high  importance  of  the  trust  committed  to  our  charge. 


COLONEL   BRADSHAW.  177 

To  his  Father. 

KUSSOWLEE,    Oct.  20$,  1851. 

I  am  much  stronger  now,  and  improving  rapidly.  By 
the  end  of  next  summer  I  hope  to  be  as  strong  as  I  ever 
hope  to  be  again.  That  I  shall  ever  again  be  able  to 
row  from  Cambridge  to  Ely  in  two  hours  and  ten  min 
utes,  to  run  a  mile  in  five  minutes,  or  to  walk  from  Skye 
(or  Kyle  Hatren  Ferry)  to  Inverness  in  thirty  hours,  is 
not  to  be  expected,  or  perhaps  desired.  But  I  have 
every  hope  that  in  the  event  of  another  war  I  may  be 
able  to  endure  fatigue  and  exposure  as  freely  as  in  1848. 
One  is  oftener  called  upon  to  ride  than  to  walk  long  dis 
tances  in  India.  In  1848,  I  could  ride  one  hundred 
miles  in  ten  hours,  fully  accoutred,  and  I  don't  care  how 
soon  (saving  your  presence  !)  the  necessity  arises  again  ! 
I  have  no  doubt  that  matrimony  will  do  me  a  power  of 
good,  and  that  I  shall  be  not  only  better,  but  happier  and 
more  care-less  than  hitherto. 

1  have  been  deeply  grieved  and  affected  by  the  death, 
two  days  ago,  of  Colonel  Bradshaw,  of  the  60th  Rifles, 
lie  will  be  a  sad  loss,  not  only  to  his  regiment,  but  to  the 
army  and  the  country.  He  was  the  beau  ideal  of  an 
English  soldier  and  gentleman,  and  would  have  earned 
himself  a  name  as  a  General  had  he  been  spared.  A 
finer  and  nobler  spirit  there  was  not  in  the  army.  I  feel 
it  as  a  deep  personal  loss,  for  he  won  my  esteem  and  re 
gard  in  no  common  degree. 


8* 


CHAPTER   VII. 

MARRIAGE. COMMAND    OF    THE    GUIDES.  —  FRONTIER 

WARFARE. MURDAN. 

ON  the  5th  of  January,  1852,  Lieut.  Hodson 
was  married,  at  the  Cathedral,  Calcutta,  to  Su 
san,  daughter  of  Capt.  C.  Henry,  R.  N.,  and 
widow  of  John  Mitford,  Esq.,  of  Exbury,  Hants. 
By  the  first  week  in  March  he  had  resumed  his 
duties  at  Kussowlee  as  Assistant  Commissioner. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  with  Burmah  he 
expected  to  rejoin  his  regiment,  (the  First  Bengal 
European  Fusileers,)  which  had  been  ordered  for 
service  there,  but  in  August  he  writes  from  Kus 
sowlee  :  — 

My  regiment  is  on  its  way  down  the  Ganges  to  Cal 
cutta,  to  take  part  in  the  war,  but  the  Burmese  have 
proved  so  very  unformidable  an  enemy  this  time,  that 
only  half  the  intended  force  is  to  be  sent  on  from  Cal 
cutta  ;  the  rest  being  held  in  reserve.  Under  these 
circumstances,  and  in  the  expectation  that  the  war  will 
very  speedily  be  brought  to  a  close,  the  Governor- Gen 
eral  has  determined  not  to  allow  officers  on  civil  employ 
ment  to  join  their  regiments  in  the  usual  manner.  I 
am  thus  spared  what  would  have  been  a  very  fatiguing 


COMMAND   OF   GUIDE    CORPS.  179 

and  expensive  trip,  with  very  little  hope  of  seeing  any 
fighting. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  an  opportu 
nity  of  seeing  active  service  presented  itself,  and 
in  a  way,  of  all  others,  most  to  his  taste.  His 
heart  had  all  along  been  with  his  old  corps,  "  the 
Guides,"  as  his  letters  show.  He  had  taken  an 
active  share  in  raising  and  training  them  origi 
nally,  and,  as  second  in  command  during  the 
Punjaub  campaign  of  1848-9,  had  contributed  in 
no  small  degree  to  gain  for  the  Corps  that  repu 
tation  which  it  has  recently  so  nobly  sustained 
before  Delhi. 

The  command  was  now  vacant,  and  was  of 
fered  to  him  ;  but  I  must  let  him  speak  for  him 
self:— 

KUSSOWLEE,  Sept.  23c7,  1852. 

Lumsden,  my  old  Commandant  in  the  Guides,  goes 
to  England  next  month,  and  the  Governor- General  has 
given  me  the  command  which  I  have  coveted  so  long. 
It  is  immense  good  fortune  in  every  way,  both  as  regards 
income  and  distinction.  It  is  accounted  the  most  honor 
able  and  arduous  command  on  the  frontier,  and  fills  the 
public  eye,  as  the  papers  say,  more  than  any  other. 

This  at  the  end  of  seven  years'  service  is  a  great 
thing,  especially  on  such  a  frontier  as  Peshawur,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kyber  Pass.  You  will  agree  with  me  in 
rejoicing  at  the  opportunities  for  distinction  thus  offered 
to  me. 

Mr.  Thomason  writes  thus :  "  I  congratulate  you  very 
sincerely  on  the  fine  prospect  that  is  open  to  you,  and 


180  KUSSOWLEE. 

trust  that  you  will  have  many  opportunities  of  showing 
what  the  Guides  can  do  under  your  leadership.  I  have 
never  ceased  to  reproach  myself  for  advising  you  to  leave 
the  Corps,  but  now  that  you  have  the  command,  you  will 
be  all  the  better  for  the  dose  of  civilianism  that  has  been 
intermediately  administered  to  you." 


KUSSOWLEE,  Oct.  7th,  1852. 

Here  I  am,  still,  but  hoping  to  take  wing  for  Peshawur 
in  a  few  days.  It  is  only  500  miles  ;  and,  as  there  arc 
no  railways,  and  only  nominal  roads,  and  five  vast  rivers 
to  cross,  you  may  suppose  that  the  journey  is  not  one  of 
a  few  hours'  lounge. 

I  am  most  gratified  by  the  appointment  to  the  command 
of  the  Guides,  and  more  so  by  the  way  in  which  it  was 
given  me,  and  the  manner  of  my  selection  from  amidst  a 
crowd  of  aspirants.  It  is  no  small  thing  for  a  subaltern 
to  be  raised  to  the  command  of  a  battalion  of  infantry 
and  a  squadron  and  a  half  of  cavalry,  with  four  English 
officers  under  him  !  I  am  supposed  to  be  the  luckiest 
man  of  my  time.  I  have  already  had  an  offer  from  the 
Military  Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Administration  to 
exchange  appointments  with  him,  although  I  should  gain, 
and  he  would  lose  2001.  a  year  by  the  "  swop  ;  "  but 
I  would  not  listen  to  him  ;  I  prefer  the  saddle  to  the 
desk,  the  frontier  to  a  respectable,  wheel-going,  dinner- 
giving,  dressy  life  at  the  capital ;  and  -  -  ambition  to 
money  ! 

But  though  his  "  instincts  were  so  entirely  mil 
itary,"  (to  use  his  own  words,)  this  did  not  pre- 


LETTER   FROM   MR.   EDMONSTONE.  181 

vent  his  discharging  his  civil  duties  in  a  manner 
that  called  forth  the  highest  eulogium  from  his 
superiors,  as  the  subjoined  letter  from  Mr.  Ed- 
mon stone,  now  Secretary  to  Government  at  Cal 
cutta,  will  testify :  — 

"  KUSSOWLEE,  Oct.  12$,  1852. 

"  MY  DEAR  HODSON,  —  I  am  a  bad  hand  at  talking, 
and  could  not  say  what  I  wished,  but  I  would  not  have 
you  go  away  without  thanking  you  heartily  for  the  sup 
port  and  assistance  which  you  have  always  given  me  in 
all  matters,  whether  big  or  little,  since  you  joined  me, 
now  twenty  months  and  more  ago.  I  have  in  my  civil 
and  criminal  reports  for  the  past  year  recorded  my  sense 
of  your  services,  and  your  official  merits,  but  our  con 
nection  has  been  peculiar,  and  your  position  has  been  one 
which  few  would  have  filled  either  so  efficiently  or  so 
agreeably  to  all  parties.  You  have  afforded  me  the 
greatest  aid  in  the  most  irksome  part  of  my  duty,  and 
have  always  with  the  utmost  readiness  undertaken  any 
thing,  no  matter  what,  that  I  asked  you  to  dispose  of,  and 
I  owe  you  more  on  this  account  than  a  mere  official  ac 
knowledgment  can  repay  adequately.  I  hope  that  though 
your  present  appointment  will  give  you  more  congenial 
duties  and  better  pay,  you  will  never  have  occasion  to 
look  back  to  the  time  you  have  passed  here  with  regret ; 
and  I  hope  too  that  all  your  anticipations  of  pleasure  and 
pride,  in  commanding  the  Corps  which  you  had  a  chief 
hand  in  forming,  may  be  realized. 

"  Believe  me  to  be,  with  much  regard, 

"  Yours  very  sincerely, 

"  G.  F.  EDMONSTONE." 


182  HUZA"RA. 

CAMP  IN  HUZARA,  Dec.  16th,  1852. 

I  took  command  of  the  Guides  on  the  1st  November, 
and  twenty-four  hours  afterwards  marched  "  on  service  " 
to  this  country,  which  is  on  the  eastern  or  left  bank  of 
the  Indus,  above  the  parallel  of  Attok.  We  are  now  in 
an  elevated  valley,  surrounded  by  snowy  mountains,  and 
mighty  cold  it  is,  too,  at  night.  We  have  come  about  125 
miles  from  Peshawur,  and  having  marched  up  the  hill, 
are  patiently  expecting  the  order  to  march  down  again. 
We  have  everything  necessary  for  a  pretty  little  moun 
tain  campaign  but  an  enemy.  This  is  usually  a  sine  qua 
non  in  warfare,  but  not  so  now.  Then  we  have  to  take 
a  fort,  only  it  has  ceased  to  exist  months  ago  ;  and  to 
reinstate  an  Indian  ally  in  territories  from  which  he  was 
expelled  by  some  neighbors,  only  he  wont  be  reinstated 
at  any  price. 

My  regiment  consists  of  five  English  officers,  including 
a  surgeon,  Dr.  Lyell,  a  very  clever  man.  Then  I  have 
300  horse,  including  native  officers,  and  550  foot,  or  850 
men  in  all,  divided  into  three  troops  and  six  companies,  * 
the  latter  armed  as  riflemen.  My  power  is  somewhat 
despotic,  as  I  have  authority  to  enlist  or  dismiss  from  the 
service,  flog  or  imprison,  degrade  or  promote  any  one, 
from  the  native  officers  downwards,  always  remembering 
that  an  abuse  of  power  might  lose  me  the  whole.  This 
sort  of  chiefdom  is  necessary  with  a  wild  sort  of  gentry 
of  various  races  and  speeches,  gathered  from  the  snows 
of  the  Hindoo  Koosh  and  the  Himalaya,  to  the  plains  of 

*  No  two  troops  or  companies  were  of  the  same  race,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  possibility  of  combination.  One  company  was  composed 
of  Sikhs,  another  of  Affreedees,  others  of  Pathans,  Goorkhas,  Punjau- 
bee  Mahomedans,  &c.,  with  native  officers,  in  each  case,  of  a  different 
race  from  the  men. 


HUZARA.  183 

Scinde  and  Hindostan,  all  of  whom  are  more  quick  at 
blows  than  at  words,  and  more  careless  of  human  life 
than  you  could  possibly  understand  in  England  by  any 
description.  I  am  likely  to  have  civil  charge  as  well  as 
military  command  of  the  Euzofzai  district,  comprising 
that  portion  of  the  great  Peshawur  valley  which  lies  be 
tween  the  Cabul  River  and  the  Indus.  So  you  see  I  am 
not  likely  to  eat  the  bread  of  idleness  at  least.  I  will 
tell  you  more  of  my  peculiar  duties  when  I  have  more 
experience  of  their  scope  and  bent.  ...  I  am,  I  should 
say,  the  most  fortunate  man  in  the  service,  considering 
my  standing.  The  other  candidates  were  all  field-officers 
of  some  standing. 

Our  good  friend  and  guest,  Captain  Powys,  of  the 
60th,  who  has  spent  the  first  six  months  of  our  married 
life  under  our  roof,  is  on  the  way  to  England.  He  will 
see  you  very  soon,  and  give  you  a  better  account  of  us 
than  you  could  hope  for  from  any  one  else. 

Notwithstanding  all  appearance  to  the  contrary 
at  its  opening,  the  campaign  lasted  seven  weeks, 
and  supplied  plenty  of  fighting.  It  was  after 
wards  characterized  by  my  brother  as  the  hardest 
piece  of  service  he  had  yet  seen.  One  engage 
ment  lasted  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  He  had  thus 
an  opportunity  of  displaying  his  usual  gallantry 
and  coolness,  and  showing  how  well  he  could 
handle  his  "  Guides  "  in  mountain  warfare.  They 
suffered  much  from  cold,  as  the  ground  was  cov 
ered  with  snow  for  a  part  of  the  time,  and  from 
want  of  supplies. 

Colonel  (now  Sir  R.)  Napier,  speaking  after 
wards  of  this  expedition,  said :  — 


184  HUZARA. 

"  Your  brother's  unfailing  fun  and  spirits,  which 
seemed  only  raised  by  what  we  had  to  go  through, 
kept  us  all  alive  and  merry,  so  that  we  looked 
back  upon  it  afterwards  as  a  party  of  pleasure, 
and  thought  we  had  never  enjoyed  anything 
more." 

In  reply  to  congratulations  on  his  appointment, 
my  brother  wrote  from  — 

PESHAWUK,  March  13th,  1853. 

I  have  certainly  been  very  fortunate  indeed,  and  only 
hope  that  I  may  be  enabled  to  acquit  myself  of  the  trust 
well  and  honorably,  both  in  the  field  and  in  the  more 
political  portion  of  my  duties.  It  was  a  good  thing  that 
I  had  the  opportunity  of  leading  the  regiment  into  action 
.so  soon  after  getting  the  command,  and  that  the  brunt  of 
the  whole  should  have  fallen  upon  us,  as  it  placed  the 
older  men  arid  myself  once  more  on  our  old  footing  of 
confidence  in  one  another,  and  introduced  me  to  the 
younger  hands  as  their  leader  when  they  needed  one. 
Susie  says  she  told  you  all  about  it ;  I  need  therefore 
only  add  that  it  was  the  hardest  piece  of  service,  while  it 
lasted,  I  have  yet  seen  with  th'e  Guides,  both  as  regards 
the  actual  fighting,  the  difficulties  of  the  ground,  (a  rugged 
mountain,  7,000  feet  high,  and  densely  wooded,)  and  the 
exposure.  You  will  see  little  or  no  mention  of  it  pub 
licly,  it  being  the  policy  of  Government  to  make  every 
thing  appear  as  quiet  as  possible  on  this  frontier,  and  to 
blazon  the  war  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  empire  (some 
2,000  miles  away)  as  much  as  they  can.  I  am,  as  you 
justly  imagined,  to  be  employed  both  civilly  and  in  a 
military  capacity,  —  at  least,  it  is  under  discussion.  I 


PESHAWUR.  185 

was  asked  to  take  charge  of  the  wild  district  of  "  Euzof- 
zai,"  (forming  a  large  portion  of  the  Peshawur  province,) 
where  the  Guides  will  ordinarily  be  stationed.  I  refused 
to  do  so  unless  I  had  the  exclusive  civil  charge  in  all 
departments,  magisterial,  financial,  and  judicial,  instead 
of  in  the  former  only,  as  proposed,  and  I  fancy  they  will 
give  in  to  my  reasons.  I  shall  then  be  military  chief, 
and  civil  governor,  too,  as  far  as  that  part  of  the  valley 
is  concerned,  and  shall  have  enough  on  my  hands,  as  you 
may  suppose.  In  the  mean  time,  T  shall  have  the  super 
intendence  of  the  building  of  a  fort  to  contain  us  all,  — 
not  such  a  fortress  as  Coblentz,  or  those  on  the  Belgian 
frontier,  but  a  mud  structure,  which  answers  all  the  pur 
poses  we  require  at  a  very,  very  small  cost. 


PESHAWUR,  April  30$,  1853. 

I  am  sorry  to  say  my  wife  is  ordered  to  the  hills,  and 
we  shall  again  be  separated  for  five  or  six  months.  My 
own  destination  for  the  hot  season  is  uncertain,  but  I 
expect  to  be  either  here,  or  on  the  banks  of  the  Indus. 


CAMP,  NEAR  PESHAWUR,  June  4tth,  1853. 

....  I  hope  to  get  away  from  work  and  heat  in 
August  or  September  for  a  month,  if  all  things  remain 
quiet.  But  for  this  sad  separation,  there  would  be  much 
charm  for  me  in  this  gypsy  life.  To  avoid  the  great  heats 
of  the  next  three  months  in  tents,  we  are  building  huts 
for  ourselves  of  thatch,  and  mine  is  assuming  the  dignity 
of  mud  walls.  We  are  encamped  on  a  lovely  spot,  on 


186  LIFE  IN   CAMP. 

the  banks  of  the  swift  and  bright  river,  at  the  foot  of  the 
hills,  on  the  watch  for  incursions  or  forays,  and  to  guard 
the  richly  cultivated  plain  of  the  Peshawur  valley  from 
depredations  from  the  hills.  We  are  ready,  of  course,  to 
boot  and  saddle  at  all  hours ;  our  rifles  and  carabines  are 
loaded,  and  our  swords  keen  and  bright ;  and  woe  to  the 
luckless  chief  who,  trusting  to  his  horses,  descends  upon 
the  plain  too  near  our  pickets  !  Meanwhile,  I  am  civil 
as  well  as  military  chief,  and  the  natural  taste  of  the 
Euzofzai  Pathans  for  broken  heads,  murder,  and  violence, 
as  well  as  their  litigiousness  about  their  lands,  keeps  me 
very  hard  at  work  from  day  to  day.  Perhaps  the  life 
may  be  more  suited  to  a  careless  bachelor,  than  to  a 
husband  with  such  a  wife  as  mine ;  but  even  still  it  has 
its  charms  for  an  active  mind  and  body.  A  daybreak 
parade  or  inspection,  a  gallop  across  the  plain  to  some 
outpost,  a  plunge  in  the  river,  and  then  an  early  break 
fast,  occupy  your  time  until  9  A.  M.  Then  come  a  couple 
of  corpses  whose  owners  (late)  had  their  heads  broken 
overnight,  and  consequent  investigations  and  examina 
tions  ;  next  a  batch  of  villagers  to  say  their  crops  are 
destroyed  by  a  storm,  and  no  rents  forthcoming.  Then 
a  scream  of  woe  from  a  plundered  farm  on  the  frontier, 
and  next  a  grain-dealer,  to  say  his  camels  have  been  car 
ried  off  to  the  hills.  "  Is  not  this  a  dainty  dish  to  set 
before  —  your  brother."  Then  each  of  my  nine  hundred 
men  considers  me  bound  to  listen  to  any  amount  of  sto 
ries  he  may  please  to  invent  or  remember  of  his  own 
private  griefs  and  troubles  ;  and  last,  not  least,  there  are 
four  young  gentlemen  who  have  each  his  fancy,  and  who 
often  give  more  trouble  in  transacting  business  than 
assistance  in  doing  it.  However,  I  have  no  right  to 
complain,  for  I  am  about,  yes,  quite,  the  most  fortunate 


COMPETITIVE   SYSTEM.  187 

man  in  the  service  ;  and  have  I  not  the  right  to  call 
myself  the  happiest  also,  with  such  a  wife  and  such  a 
home  ? 


CAMP,  NEAR  PESHAWUK,  August  6th,  1853. 
I  hear  that  the  new  system  for  India  is  to  throw  open 
Addiscombe  and  Haileybury  to  public  competition  ;  that 
this  public  competition  will  be  fair  and  open,  and  free 
from  jobbery  and  patronage,  I  suppose  no  sane  person 
in  the  19th  century,  acquainted  with  public  morals  and 
public  bodies,  would  believe  for  an  instant.  The  change 
may,  however,  facilitate  admission  into  the  service  to 
well-crammed  boys.  There  are,  I  doubt  not,  many 
clever  and  able  men  who  would  in  a  year  put  any  boy 
with  tolerable  abilities  into  a  state  of  intellectual  coma, 
which  would  enable  him  to  write  out  examination  papers 
by  the  dozen,  and  pass  a  triumphant  examination  in 
paper-military  affairs.  I  am  not  called  upon  to  state  how 
much  of  it  would  avail  in  the  hour  of  strife  and  danger. 
India  is,  par  excellence,  the  country  for  poor  men  who 
have  hard  constitutions  and  strong  stomachs.  I  fear  you 
will  add,  when  you  have  read  thus  far,  that  it  is  not 
favorable  to  charity,  or  to  the  goodness  which,  under  the 
pious  wish  to  think  no  evil,  gives  every  one  credit  for 
everything,  and  believes  that  words  mean  what  they 
appear  to  express,  and  that  language  conveys  some  idea 
of  the  thoughts  of  the  speaker !  ...  It  is  very  trying 
that  I  cannot  be  with  Susie  at  Murree  ;  but  with  a  people 
such  as  these  it  is  not  safe  to  be  absent,  lest  the  volcano 
should  break  out  afresh.  Since  I  began  this  sheet  a  dust- 
storm  has  covered  everything  on  my  table  completely 
with  sand.  My  pen  is  clogged,  and  my  inkstand  choked, 


188  GEOGRAPHY   OF  PUNJAUB. 

and  my  eyes  full  of  dust !  What  am  I  to  do  ?  Oh,  the 
pleasures  of  the  tented  field  in  August  in  the  valley  of 
Peshawur!  It  has  been  very  hot  indeed,  lately.  We 
have  barely  in  our  huts  had  the  thermometer  under  100°, 
and  a  very  steamy,  stewy  heat  it  is,  into  the  bargain. 


MURREE,  Sept.  liih,  1853. 

I  am  enjoying  a  little  holiday  from  arms  and  cutchery 
up  in  the  cool  here  with  Susie.  Murree  is  not  more  than 
140  miles  from  Peshawur.  You  say  that  you  do  not 
know  "  what  I  mean  by  hills  in  my  part  of  India."  This 
is  owing  to  the  badness  of  the  maps.  The  fact  is,  that 
the  whole  of  the  upper  part  of  the  country  watered  by 
the  five  rivers  is  mountainous.  The  Himalaya  extends 
from  the  eastern  frontiers  of  India  to  AfFghanistan,  where 
it  joins  the  "  Hindoo  Koosh,"  or  Caucasus.  If  you  draw 
a  line  from  Peshawur,  through  Rawul  Pindee,  to  Simla 
or  Subathoo,  or  any  place  marked  on  the  maps  there 
abouts,  you  may  assume  that  all  to  the  north  of  that  line 
is  mountain  country.  Another  chain  runs  from  Peshawur, 
down  the  right  bank  of  the  Indus  to  the  sea.  At  Attok 
the  mountains  close  in  upon  the  river,  or  more  correctly 
speaking,  the  river  emerges  from  the  mountains,  and  the 
higher  ranges  end  there.  The  Peshawur  valley  is  a  wide 
open  plain,  lying  on  the  banks  of  the  Cabul  River,  about 
sixty  miles  long  by  forty  broad,  encircled  by  mountains, 
some  of  them  covered  with  snow  for  eight  or  nine  months 
of  the  year.  Euzofzai  is  the  northeastern  portion  of  this 
valley,  embraced  between  the  Cabul  River  and  the  Indus. 
Half  of  Euzofzai  (the  "  abode  of  the  children  of  Joseph  ") 
is  mountain,  but  we  only  hold  the  level  or  plain  part  of  it. 


EUZOFZAI.  189 

Nevertheless,  a  large  part  of  my  little  province  is  very 
hilly.  In  the  northeast  corner  of  Euzofzai,  hanging 
over  the  Indus,  is  a  vast  lump  of  a  hill,  called  "  Maha- 
bun  "  (or  the  "  great  forest "),  thickly  peopled  on  its  slopes, 
and  giving  shelter  to  some  12,000  armed  men,  the  bitter 
est  bigots  which  even  Islam  can  produce.  The  hill  is 
about  7,800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  This  has 
been  identified  by  the  wise  men  with  the  Aornos  of  Ar- 
rian,  and  Alexander  is  supposed  to  have  crossed  the  Indus 
at  its  foot.  Whether  he  did  so  or  not  I  am  not  "  at  lib 
erty  to  mention,"  but  it  is  certain  that  Nadir  Shah,  in  one 
of  his  incursions  into  India,  marched  his  host  to  the.  top 
of  it,  and  encamped  there.  This  gives  color  to  the  story 
that  the  Macedonian  did  the  same.  As  in  all  ages,  there 
are  dominating  points  which  are  seized  on  by  men  of 
genius  when  engaged  in  the  great  game  of  war.  The 
great  principles  of  war  seem  to  change  as  little  as  the 
natural  features  of  the  country.  Well,  you  will  see  how 
a  mountain  range  running  "  slantingdicularly  "  across  the 
Upper  Punjaub  contains  many  nice  mountain  tops  suited 
to  Anglo-Saxon  adventurers.  If  you  can  find  Rawul 
Pindee  on  the  maps,  you  may  put  your  finger  on  Murree, 
about  twenty-five  miles,  as  the  crow  flies,  to  the  north 
east.  You  should  get  a  map  of  the  Punjaub,  Cashmere, 
and  Iskardo,  published  by  Arrowsmith  in  1847.  George' 
sent  me  two  of  them.  They  are  the  best  published  maps 
I  have  seen.  As  to  the  Euzofzai  fever,  that  is,  I  am 
happy  to  say,  now  over.  It  was  terrible  while  it  lasted. 
Between  the  1st  March  and  the  loth  June,  1853,  8,352 
persons  died  out  of  a  population  of  53,500.  It  was  very 
similar  to  typhus,  but  had  some  symptoms  of  yellow  fever. 
It  was  confined  to  natives.  It  appeared  to  be  contagious 
or  infectious,  but  I  am  so  entirely  skeptical  as  to  the  ex- 


190  DEATH   OF   MR.  THOMASON. 

istence  of  either  contagion  or  infection  in  these  Indian 
complaints,  that  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  believe  that  the 
appearances  were  real. 

Poor  Colonel  Mackison,  the  Commissioner  at  Peshawur, 
(the  chief  civil  and  political  officer  for  the  frontier),  was 
stabbed,  a  few  days  ago,  by  a  fanatic,  while  sitting  in  his 
veranda  reading.  The  fellow  was  from  Swat,  and  said 
he  had  heard  that  we  were  going  to  invade  his  country, 
and  that  he  would  try  to  stop  it,  and  go  to  heaven  as  a 
martyr  for  the  faith.  Poor  Mackison  is  still  alive,  but  in 
a  very  precarious  state,  I  fear.  I  hope  this  may  induce 
Government  to  take  strong  measures  with  the  hill-tribes. 

He  had  soon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  still  more 
valued  friend  :  — 

Oct.  15tk,  1853. 

You  will  have  been  much  shocked  at  hearing  of  poor 
dear  Mr.  Thomason's  death. 

It  is  an  irreparable  loss  to  his  family  and  friends,  but 
it  will  be  even  more  felt  in  his  public  capacity.  He  had 
not  been  ill,  but  died  from  sheer  debility  and  exhaustion, 
produced  by  overwork  and  application  in  the  trying  sea 
son  just  over.  Had  he  gone  to  the  hills,  all  would  have 
been  right.  I  cannot  but  think  that  he  sacrificed  himself 
as  an  example  to  others.  You  may  imagine  how  much  I 
have  felt  the  loss  of  my  earliest  and  best  friend  in  India, 
to  whom  I  was  accustomed  to  detail  all  my  proceedings, 
and  whom  I  was  wont  to  consult  in  every  difficulty  and 
doubt. 

On  the  2d  November  he  wrote  from  Rawul  Pin- 
dee  to  announce  the  birth  of  a  daughter.  He  had 
been  obliged  previously  to  return  to  his  duties  ; 


BOREE   CAMPAIGN.  191 

but,  by  riding  hard  all  night,  had  been  able  to  be 
with  his  wife  at  the  time,  and,  after  greeting  the 
little  stranger,  had  immediately  to  hasten  back  to 
his  Guides  on  the  frontier. 

The  Government,  with  a  view  to  secure  the 
Kohat  Pass,  were  now  preparing  an  expedition 
against  the  refractory  tribe  of  the  Borees,  one  of 
the  bravest  and  wildest  of  the  Affghan  race,  in 
order  to  prove  that  their  hills  and  valleys  were 
accessible  to  our  troops. 

Accordingly,  a  force  consisting  of  400  men  of 
her  Majesty's  22d,  450  Goorkhas,  450  Guides, 
and  the  mountain  train,  marched  at  4  A.  M.  on  the 
morning  of  the  29th  November,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Brigadier  Boileau,  to  attack  the  villages 
in  the  Boree  valley. 

I  must  supply  the  loss  of  my  brothers  own 
account  by  a  letter  from  an  officer  with  the  ex 
pedition  :  — 

"  Our  party,  after  crossing  the  hills  between 
Kundao  and  the  main  Affreedee  range  at  two 
points,  reunited  in  the  valley  at  10.30  A.  M.,  and 
with  the  villages  of  the  Borees  before  us  at  the 
foot  of  some  precipitous  crags.  These  it  at  once 
became  apparent  must  be  carried  before  the  vil 
lages  could  be  attacked  and  destroyed.  The  ser 
vice  devolved  on  two  detachments  of  the  Goorkhas 
and  Guides,  commanded  by  Lieutenants  Hodson 
and-  Turner,  and  the  style  in  which  these  gallant 
fellows  did  their  work,  and  drove  the  enemy  from 
crag  to  rock  and  rock  to  crag,  and  finally  kept 


192  BOREE   CAMPAIGN. 

them  at  bay  from  11  A.  M.  to  3  p.  M.,  was  the 
admiration  of  the  whole  force.  We  could  plainly 
see  the  onslaught,  especially  a  fierce  struggle  that 
lasted  a  whole  hour,  for  the  possession  of  a  breast 
work,  which  appeared  inaccessible  from  below, 
but  was  ultimately  carried  by  the  Guides,  in  the 
face  of  the  determined  opposition  of  the  Affree- 
dees,  who  fought  for  every  inch  of  ground. 

"  Depend  upon  it,  this  crowning  of  the  Boree 
heights  was  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of  light  in 
fantry  performance  on  record.  It  was,  moreover, 
one  which  Avitabile,  with  10,000  Sikhs,  was  una 
ble  to  accomplish.  During  these  operations  on 
the  hill,  the  villages  were  burnt,  and  it  was  only 
the  want  of  powder  which  prevented  the  succes 
sion  of  towers  which  flanked  them  being  blown 
into  the  air.  The  object  of  the  expedition  having 
been  thus  fully  achieved,  the  skirmishers  were 
recalled  at  about  three,  and  then  the  difficulties 
of  the  detachment  commenced ;  for,  as  is  well 
known,  the  Affghans  are  familiar  with  the  art  of 
following,  though  they  will  rarely  meet  an  enemy. 
The  withdrawal  of  the  Guides  and  Goorkhas 
from  the  heights  was  most  exciting,  and  none  but 
the  best  officers  and  the  best  men  could  have 
achieved  this  duty  with  such  complete  success. 
Lieutenant  Hodson's  tactics  were  of  the  most 
brilliant  description,  and  the  whole  force  having 
been  once  more  reunited  in  the  plain,  they  marched 
out  of  the  valley  by  the"  Turoonee  Pass,  which, 
though  farthest  from  the  British  camp,  was  the 


BOREE   CAMPAIGN.  193 

shortest  to  the  outer  plains.  The  force  did  not 
return  to  camp  till  between  ten  and  eleven  at 
night,  having  been  out  nearly  eighteen  hours, 
many  of  the  men  without  food,  and  almost  all 
without  water,  the  small  supply  which  had  been 
carried  out  having  soon  been  exhausted,  and  none 
being  procurable  at  Boree. 

"  Not  an  officer  of  the  detachment  was  touched, 
and  only  eight  men  killed  and  twenty-four  wound 
ed.  When  the  force  first  entered  the  valley,  there 
were  not  more  than  200  Borees  in  arms  to  resist ; 
but  before  they  returned,  the  number  had  increased 
to  some  3,000, —  tens  and  twenties  pouring  in  all 
the  morning  from  all  the  villages  and  hamlets 
within  many  miles,  intelligence  of  the  attack 
being  conveyed  to  them  by  the  firing." 

My  brother's  services  on  this  occasion  were  thus 
acknowledged  by  the  Brigadier  commanding,  Col 
onel  Boileau,  her  Majesty's  22d  Regiment,  in  a 
despatch  dated  Nov.  29th,  1853  :  — 

"  To  the  admirable  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Hodson  in 
reconnoitring,  in  the  skilful  disposition  of  his  men,  and 
the  daring  gallantry  with  which  he  led  his  fine  Corps  in 
every  advance,  most  of  our  success  is  due  ;  for  the  safety 
of  the  whole  force  while  in  the  valley  of  the  Tillali  de 
pended  on  his  holding  his  position,  and  I  had  justly  every 
confidence  in  his  vigilance  and  valor. 

(Signed)  "  J.  B.  BOILEAU, 

"  Brigadier  Commanding  the  Force 
at  Boree" 


194  CAMP,   MURDAN. 

"  To  Lieutenant  W.  S.  R.  Hodson,  I  beg  you  will  ex 
press  my  particular  thanks  for  the  great  service  he  ren 
dered  the  force  under  your  command,  by  his  ever  gallant 
conduct,  which  has  fully  sustained  the  reputation  he  has 
so  justly  acquired  for  courage,  coolness,  and  determina 
tion. 

(Signed)  «  W.  M.  GOMM, 

"  Oommander-in-  Chief" 

Before  Christmas,  to  his  great  delight,  he  was 
joined  in  camp  by  his  wife  and  child.  The  fol 
lowing  letters  bring  oat  still  more  prominently 
the  tender  loving  side  of  his.  character,  both  as  a 
father  and  a  son  :  — 

To  his  Father. 

CAMP,  MURDAN,  EUZOFZAI,  Jan.  2<7,  1854 
I  have  been  sadly  long  in  answering  your  last  most 
welcome  letter,  but  I  have  been  so  terribly  driven  from 
pillar  to  post,  that  I  have  always  been  unable  to  sit  down 
at  the  proper  time.  My  long  holiday  with  dear  Susie, 
and  journeyings  to  and  fro  to  see  her  at  Murree,  and 
our  short  campaign  against  the  Affreedees  in  November, 
threw  me  into  a  sea  of  arrears  which  was  terrible  to  con 
template,  and  still  worse  to  escape  from.  I  am  now 
working  all  day  and  half  the  night,  and  cannot  as  yet 
make  much  impression  on  them. 

I  wish  you  could  see  your  little  grand-daughter  being 
nursed  by  a  rough-looking  Affghan  soldier  or  bearded 
Sikh,  and  beginning  life  so  early  as  a  dweller  in  tents. 
She  was  christened  by  Mr.  Clarke,  one  of  the  Church 
Missionaries  who  happened  to  be  in  Peshawur.  The 


ATTEMPTED  ASSASSINATION.  195 

chaplain,  who  ought  to  have  been  there,  was  amusing 
himself  somewhere,  and  we  could  not  catch  a  spare  par 
son  for  a  fortnight. 

You  evidently  do  not  appreciate  the  state  of  things  in 
these  provinces.  There  are  but  two  churches  in  the 
Punjaub ;  and  there  will  be  an  electric  telegraph  to  Pe- 
shavvur  before  a  church  is  commenced  there,  though  the 
station  has  been  one  for  four  years.  In  the  first  season, 
a  large  Roman  Catholic  Chapel  was  built  there,  and  an 
Italian  priest  from  the  Propaganda  busy  in  his  vocation. 
I  offered  Mr.  C.  all  the  aid  in  my  power,  though  I  told 
him  candidly  that  I  thought  he  had  not  much  chance  of 
success  here.  A  large  sum  has  been  raised  at  Peshawur 
for  the  Mission,  but  unfortunately  they  have  gone  wild 
with  theories  about  the  lost  tribes  and  fulfilment  of  proph 
ecies  respecting  the  Jews,  which  has  given  a  somewhat 
visionary  character  to  their  plans.  Mr.  C.  wanted  me  to 
think  that  these  Euzofzai  Pathans  were  Ben-i-Israel,  and 
asked  me  whether  I  had  heard  them  call  themselves  so  ; 
and  he  was  aghast  when  I  said  they  were  as  likely  to 
talk  of  Ben  d'Israeli.  All  I  can  say  is,  that  if  they  be 
"  lost  tribes,"  I  only  wish  they  would  find  out  a  home 
somewhere  else  among  their  cousins,  and  give  me  less 
trouble.  .  .  .  My  second  in  command  was  stabbed  in  the 
back  by  a  fanatic  the  other  day  while  on  parade,  and  has 
had  a  wonderful  escape  for  his  life. 

You  would  so  delight  in  your  little  grand-daughter. 
She  is  a  lovely  good  little  darling ;  as  happy  as  possible, 
and  wonderfully  quick  and  intelligent  for  her  months.  I 
would  give  worlds  to  be  able  to  run  home  and  see  you, 
and  show  you  my  child,  but  I  fear  much  that,  unless  I 
find  a  "  nugget,"  it  is  vain  to  hope  for  so  much  pleasure 
just  now.  Meantime,  I  have  every  blessing  a  man  can 


196  BUILDING   FORT. 

hope  for,  and  not  the  least  is  that  of  your  fond  and  much 
prized  affection. 

A  few  months  later,  again  apologizing  for  long 
silence,  he  says  :  — 

May  1st. 

In  addition  to  the  very  onerous  command  of  876  wild 
men  and  300  wild  horses,  and  the  charge  of  the  civil  ad 
ministration  of  a  district  almost  as  lawless  as  Tipperary, 
I  have  had  to  build,  and  superintend  the  building  of,  a 
fort  to  give  cover  to  the  said  men  and  horses,  including 
also  within  its  walls  three  houses  for  English  officers,  a 
police  station,  and  a  native  collector's  office.  He  who 
builds  in  India  builds  not  in  the  comfortable  acceptation 
of  the  term  which  obtains  at  home.  He  sends  not  for  his 
Barry  or  his  Basevi ;  calls  not  for  a  design  and  specifica 
tions,  and  then  beholds  his  house,  and  pays  his  bill ;  but 
he  builds  as  Noah  may  have  built  the  Ark. 

Down  to  the  minutest  detail  of  carpentry,  smithery, 
and  masonry,  and  of  "  muddery,"  too,  for  that  matter,  he 
must  know  what  he  is  about,  and  show  others  what  to  do, 
or  good-bye  to  his  hopes  for  a  house. 

Altogether,  I  am  often  fourteen  hours  a  day  .at  hard 
work,  and  obliged  to  listen  for  a  still  longer  period. 

Our  poor  little  darling  had  a  very  severe  attack  of 
fever  the  other  day,  but  is  now  well  again,  and  getting 
strong.  I  never  see  her  without  wishing  that  she  was  in 
her  grandfather's  arms.  You  would  so  delight  in  her 
little  baby  tricks  and  ways.  She  is  the  very  delight 
of  our  lives,  and  we  look  forward  with  intense  interest 
to  her  beginning  to  talk  and  crawl  about.  Both  she 
and  her  dear  mother  will  have  to  leave  for  the  hills  very 
soon,  I  am  sorry  to  say.  We  try  to  put  off  the  evil  day, 


LIFE  IN   WILDERNESS.  197 

but  I  dare  not  expose  either  of  my  treasures  to  the  heat 
of  Euzofzai  or  Peshawur  for  the  next  three  months.  .  .  . 
The  young  lady  already  begins  to  show  a  singularity  of 
taste,  —  refusing  to  go  to  the  arms  of  any  native  women, 
and  decidedly  preferring  the  male  population,  some  of 
whom  are  distinguished  by  her  special  favor.  Her  own 
orderly,  save  the  mark,  never  tires  of  looking  at  her 
"  beautiful  white  fingers,"  nor  she  of  twisting  them  into 
his  black  beard,  —  an  insult  to  an  Oriental,  which  he 
bears  with  an  equanimity  equal  to  his  fondness  for  her. 
The  cunning  fellows  have  begun  to  make  use  of  her  too, 
and  when  they  want  anything,  ask  the  favor  in  the  name 
of  Lilli  Baba  (they  cannot  manage  "Olivia"  at  all). 
They  know  the  spell  is  potent. 

The  following  letters  from  his  wife's  pen  give  a 
lively  picture  of  "  domestic "  life  in  the  wilder 
ness,  and  of  the  wilderness  itself :  — 

"  January,  1854. 

"  Picture  to  yourself  an  immense  plain,  flat  as  a  bill 
iard  table,  but  not  as  green,  with  here  and  there  a  dotting 
of  camel  thorn  about  eighteen  inches  high,  by  way  of 
vegetation.  This  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  on  the  east, 
west,  and  south  of  us,  but  on  the  north  the  lasting  snows 
of  the  mighty  Himalaya  glitter  and  sparkle  like  a  rosy 
diadem  above  the  lower  range,  which  is  close  to  our 
camp.  What  would  you  say  to  life  in  such  a  wilderness? 
or  how  would  you  stare  to  see  the  officers  sit  down  to 
table  with  sword  and  pistol  ?  The  baby  never  goes  for 
an  airing  without  a  guard  of  armed  horsemen ;  what  a 
sensation  such  a  cortege  would  create  in  Hyde  Park ! " 


198  EUZOFZAI. 

"  April  Ibffi. 

"  You  ask  for  some  detail  of  our  life  out  here,  and  the 
history  of  one  day  will  be  a  picture  of  every  one,  with 
little  variation. 

"At  the  first  bugle,  soon  after  daylight,  W.  gets  up 
and  goes  to  parade,  and  from  thence  to  superintend  the 
proceedings  at  the  fort. 

"  By  nine  o'clock  we  are  both  ready  for  breakfast, 
after  which  W.  disappears  into  his  business  tent,  where 
he  receives  regimental  reports,  examines  recruits,  whether 
men  or  horses,  superintends  stores  and  equipments,  hears 
complaints,  and  settles  disputes,  &c.  &c.  The  regimental 
business  first  dispatched,  then  comes  '  kutcherry,'  or  civil 
court  matters,  receiving  petitions,  adjusting  claims,  with  a 
still  longer  &c.  You  may  have  some  small  idea  of  the 
amount  of  this  work,  when  I  tell  you  that  during  the 
month  of  March  he  disposed  of  twenty-one  serious  crim 
inal  cases,  such  as  murder,  and  '  wounding  with  intent,' 
and  nearly  300  charges  of  felony,  larceny,  &c.  At  two 
o'clock  he  comes  in  for  a  look  at  his  bairn,  and  a  glass  of 
wine.  Soon  after  five  a  cup  of  tea,  and  then  we  order 
the  horses,  and  in  the  saddle  till  nearly  eight,  when  I  go 
with  him  again  to  the  fort,  the  garden,  and  the  roads, 
diverging  occasionally  to  fix  the  site  of  a  new  village,  a 
well,  or  a  watercourse. 

"  You  can  understand  something  of  the  delight  of  gal 
loping  over  the  almost  boundless  plain  in  the  cool,  fresh 
air,  (for  the  mornings  and  evenings  are  still  lovely,)  with 
the  ground  now  enamelled  with  sweet-scented  flowers, 
and  the  magnificent  mountains  nearest  us  assuming  every 
possible  hue  which  light  and  shadow  can  bestow.  On 
our  return  to  carnp,  W.  hears  more  reports  till  dinner, 


NATIVE   SPOKTS.  199 

which  is  sometimes  shared  by  the  other  officers,  or  chance 
guests. 

"  When  we  are  alone,  as  soon  as  dinner  is  over,  the 
letters  which  have  arrived  in  the  evening  are  examined, 
classified,  and  descanted  on,  sometimes  answered  ;  and  I 
receive  my  instructions  for  next  day's  work  in  copying 
papers,  answering  letters,  &c.  And  now  do  you  not 
think  that  prayers  and  bed  are  the  fitting  and  well-earned 
ending  to  the  labors  of  the  day  ? 

"  When  you  remember,  too,  that,  in  building  the  fort, 
roads,  and  bridges,  W.  has  to  make  his  bricks  and  burn 
them,  to  search  for  his  timber  and  fell  it,  you  will  not 
deny  that  his  hands  are  full  enough  ;  but  in  addition,  he 
has  to  search  for  workmen,  and  when  brought  here,  to 
procure  them  food  and  means  of  cooking  it.  Some  are 
Mussulmans  and  eat  meat,  which  must  be  killed  and 
cooked  by  their  own  people.  Some  are  Hindoos,  who 
only  feed  on  grain  and  vegetables,  but  every  single  man 
must  have  his  own  chula  or  fireplace,  with  an  inclosure 
for  him  and  his  utensils,  and  if  by  chance  any  foot  but 
his  own  overstep  his  little  mud  wall,  he  will  neither  eat 
nor  work  till  another  sun  has  arisen.  Then  some  smoke, 
while  others  hold  it  in  abhorrence ;  some  only  drink 
water,  others  must  have  spirits ;  so  that  it  is  no  easy  mat 
ter  to  arrange  the  conflicting  wants  of  some  1,100  laborers. 
I  shall  be  very  thankful  when  this  Murdan  Kote  is  fin 
ished,  for  it  will  relieve  my  poor  husband  of  half  his 
labor  and  anxiety. 

"  By  way  of  variety,  we  have  native  sports  on  great 
holidays,  —  such  as  throwing  the  spear  at  a  mark,  or 
*  Nazabaze,'  which  is,  fixing  a  stake  of  twelve  or  eighteen 
inches  into  the  ground,  which  must  be  taken  up  on  the 
spear's  point  while  passing  it  at  full  gallop,  or  putting  an 


200  NATIVE   SPORTS. 

orange  on  the  top  of  a  bamboo  a  yard  high,  and  cutting 
it  through  with  a  sword  at  full  speed.  W.  is  very  clever 
at  this,  rarely  failing,  but  the  spears  are  too  long  for  any 
but  a  lithe  native  to  wield  without  risking  a  broken  arm. 
The  scene  is  most  picturesque ;  —  the  flying  horsemen  in 
their  flowing  many-colored  garments,  and  the  grouping  of 
the  lookers-on,  make  me  more  than  ever  regret  not  hav 
ing  a  ready  pencil-power  to  put  them  on  paper. 
•  "  The  weather  has  been  particularly  unfavorable  to  the 
progress  of  the  fort,  so  that  we  are  still  in  our  temporary 
hut  and  tents.  Of  course  we  feel  the  heat  much  more,  so 
domiciled.  W.  is  grievously  overworked,  still  his  health 
is  wonderfully  good,  and  his  spirits  as  wild  as  if  he  were 
a  boy  again.  He  is  never  so  well  pleased  as  when  he 
has  the  baby  in  his  arms." 


ATTOK,  June  9^,  1854. 

.  .  .  We  are  so  far  on  the  way  to  Murree,  and  here,  I 
grieve  to  say,  we  part  for  the  next  three  months.  I  hope 
to  rejoin  them  for  a  month  in  September,  and  accompany 
them  back  to  our  new  home,  for  by  that  time  I  trust  that 
my  fortified  cantonment  will  be  ready,  and  our  house  too. 
This  said  fort  has  been  a  burden  and  a  stumbling-block  to 
me  for  months,  and  added  grievously  to  my  work,  as  I  am 
sole  architect.  It  is  built  regularly,  but  of  earthworks 
and  mud,  and  as  it  covers  an  area  of  twelve  acres,  you 
may  believe  that  it  has  been  no  slight  task  to  superintend 
its  construction.  It  is  a  sad  necessity,  and  the  curse  of 
Indian  life,  this  repeatedly  recurring  separation,  but  any 
thing  is  better  than  to  see  the  dear  ones  suffer.  I  am  for 
tunately  very  well,  and  as  yet  untouched  by  the  unusual 


LOSS    OF    CHILD.  201 

virulence  with  which  the  hot  weather  has    commenced 
this  year. 


To  his  Father. 

MURREE,  July  17th,  1854. 

I  was  summoned  from  Euzofzai  to  these  hills,  on  the 
2Gth  June,  by  the  tidings  of  the  dangerous  illness  of  our 
sweet  baby.  I  found  her  in  a  sinking  state,  and  though 
she  was  spared  to  us  for  another  fortnight  of  deep  anxi 
ety  and  great  wretchedness,  there  was,  from  the  time  I 
arrived,  scarcely  a  hope  of  her  recovery.  Slowly  and 
by  imperceptible  degrees  her  little  life  wasted  away  until, 
early  on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  she  breathed  her  soul 
away,  so  gently  that  those  watching  her  intently  were 
conscious  of  no  change.  The  deep  agony  of  this  be 
reavement  I  have  no  words  to  describe.  We  had  watched 
her  growth,  and  prided  ourselves  on  her  development 
with  such  absorbing  interest  and  joy ;  and  she  had  so  won 
our  hearts  by  her  extreme  sweetness  and  most  unusual 
intelligence,  that  she  had  become  the  very  centre  and 
light  of  our  home  life,  and  in  losing  her  we  seem  to  have 
lost  everything.  Her  poor  mother  is  sadly  bowed  down 
by  this  great  grief,  and  has  suffered  terribly  both  in  health 
and  spirits. 

I  have  got  permission  to  remain  with  her  a  few  days, 
but  I  must  return  to  my  duty  before  the  end  of  the 
month. 

We  had  the  best  and  kindest  of  medical  advice,  and 
everything,  I  believe,  which  skill  could  do  was  tried,  but 
in  vain.  She  was  lent  to  us  to  be  our  joy  and  comfort 
for  a  time,  and  was  taken  from  us  again,  and  the  blank 
ghe  has  left  behind  is  great  indeed. 

9* 


202  LOSS    OF  CHILD. 

I  dare  not  take  Susie  down  with  me,  much  as  she 
wishes  it,  at  this  season,  and  in  her  state  of  health.  I 
must  therefore  leave  her  here  till  October.  It  is  very 
sad  work  to  part  again  under  these  circumstances,  but  in 
this  wretched  country  there  is  no  help  for  us.  Your 
kind  and  affectionate  expressions  about  our  little  darling, 
and  your  keen  appreciation  of  the  "  unfailing  source  of 
comfort  and  refreshment  she  was  to  my  wearied  spirit," 
came  to  me  just  as  I  had  ceased  to  hope  for  the  precious 
babe's  life. 

...  It  has  been  a  very,  very  bitter  blow  to  us.  She 
had  wound  her  little  being  round  our  hearts  to  an  extent 
which  we  neither  of  us  knew  until  we  woke  from  the 
brief  dream  of  beauty,  and  found  ourselves  childless. 


CAMP,  MURDAN,  Sept.  17$,  1854. 

I  am  alone  now,  having  none  of  my  officers  here  save 
the  doctor.  But  the  border  is  quiet,  and  except  a  great 
deal  of  crime  and  villany,  I  have  not  any  great  difficul 
ties  to  contend  with.  My  new  fort  to  hold  the  regiment 
and  protect  the  frontier  is  nearly  finished,  and  my  new 
house  therein  will  be  habitable  before  my  wife  comes 
down  from  Murree.  So  after  two  years  and  a  quarter 
of  camp  and  hutting,  I  shall  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  room 
and  the  dignity  of  a  house. 


FORT,  MURDAN,  Oct.  31s£,  1854. 

I  can  give  better  accounts  of  our  own  state  than  for 
many  a  long  day.     Dear  Susie  is  much  better  than  for  a 


COMPLETION   OF   FORT.  203 

year  past,  and  gaming  strength  daily,  and  I  am  as  well  as 
possible.  We  are  now  in  our  new  house  in  this  fort,  which 
has  caused  me  so  much  labor  and  anxiety  ;  and  I  assure 
you,  a  most  comfortable  dwelling  we  find  it.  Our  houses 
(I  mean  the  European  officers')  project  from  the  general 
front  of  the  works  at  the  angles  of  the  bastions,  and  are 
quite  private,  and  away  from  the  noisy  soldiers  ;  and  we 
have,  for  India,  a  very  pretty  view  of  the  hills  and  plains 
around  us.  Above  all,  the  place  seems  a  very  healthy 
one.  To  your  eye,  fresh  from  England,  it  would  appear 
desolate  from  its  solitude  and  oppressive  from  the  vastness 
of  the  scale  of  scene.  A  wide  plain,  without  a  break  or 
a  tree,  thirty  miles  long,  by  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  wide, 
forms  our  immediate  foreground  on  one  side,  and  an  end 
less  mass  of  mountains  on  the  other. 

We  have  just  heard  by  telegraph  of  the  engagement  at 
Alma,  but  only  a  brief  electric  shock  of  a  message,  with 
out  details.  We  are  in  an  age  of  wonders.  Ten  months 
ago,  there  was  not  a  telegraph  in  Hindostan,  yet  the 
news  which  reached  Bombay  on  the  27th  of  this  month, 
was  printed  at  Lahore,  1,200  miles  from  the  coast,  that 
same  afternoon. 


MURDAN,  Nov.  16th,  1854. 

As  yet,  we  have  only  felt  the  surging  of  the  storm 
which  convulses  Eastern  Europe.  The  only  palpable 
sign  of  the  effects  of  Russian  intrigue  which  we  have 
had,  has  been  the  commencement  of  negotiation  with  the 
Dost  Mahomed  Khan,  of  Cabul,  who,  under  the  pressure 
from  without,  has  been  fain  to  seek  for  alliance  and  aid 
from  us.  Nothing  is  yet  known  of  his  demands,  or  the 
intentions  of  Government,  but  one  thing  is  certain,  that 


204  NATIVE   ALLIANCES. 

the  commencement  of  negotiations  with  us,  is  the  begin 
ning  of  evil  days  for  Afghanistan. 

In  India,  we  must  either  keep  altogether  aloof  or  ab 
sorb.  All  our  history  shows  that  sooner  or  later  con 
nection  with  us  is  political  death.  The  sunshine  is  not 
more  fatal  to  a  dew-drop  than  our  friendship  or  alliance 
to  an  Asiatic  Kingdom. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

REVERSES.  UNJUST     TREATMENT.  LOSS      OF     COM 
MAND.  RETURN    TO    REGIMENTAL    DUTIES. 

UP  to  this  time  my  brother's  career  in  India 
had  been  one  of  almost  uninterrupted  prosperity. 
He  had  attained  a  position  unprecedented  for  a 
man  of  his  standing  in  the  service,  and  enjoyed 
a  reputation  for  daring,  enterprise,  and  ability,  only 
equalled  by  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held 
by  all  who  knew  him,  for  high  principle  and  ster 
ling  worth.  He  was,  as  he  described  himself,  the 
most  fortunate  and  the  happiest  man  in  India. 
But  now  the  tide  of  fortune  turned. 

A  storm  had  for  some  time  been  gathering,  the 
indications  of  which  he  had  either  overlooked  or 
despised,  till  it  burst  with  its  full  force  upon  him, 
and  seemed  for  the  moment  to  carry  all  before  it, 
blasting  his  fair  fame  and  sweeping  away  his  for 
tunes.  Many  circumstances  had  conspired  to 
bring  about  this  result,  some  of  which  will  only 
be  fully  appreciated  by  those  who  are  acquainted 
with  the  internal  politics  of  the  Punjaub  at  that 
period.  His  appointment  to  the  command  of  the 
Guides,  over  the  heads  of  many  of  his  seniors, 
had  from  the  first  excited  much  jealousy  and  ill- 


20  G  JEALOUSY. 

will  among  the  numerous  aspirants  to  so  distin 
guished  a  post.  In  India,  more  than  in  any  other 
country,  a  man  cannot  be  prosperous  or  fortunate 
without  making  many  enemies  ;  and  every  ascent 
above  the  level  of  your  contemporaries  secures  so 
many  additional  "  good  haters  ; "  nor  is  there  any 
country  where  enmity  is  more  unscrupulous  in  the 
means  to  which  it  has  recourse.  This  mattered 
comparatively  little  to  my  brother,  so  long  as  Sir 
Henry  Lawrence,  to  whose  firm  and  discriminat 
ing  friendship  he  owed  his  appointment,  remained 
in  power.  He,  however,  had  been  removed  from 
the  Administration  of  the  Punjaub,  and  those 
who  had  effected  his  removal,  and  now  reigned 
supreme,  were  not  likely  to  look  with  very  favor 
able  eyes  upon  one  who,  like  my  brother,  was 
known  as  his  protege  and  confidant,  and  had  not 
perhaps  been  as  guarded,  as  in  prudence  he  ought 
to  have  been,  in  the  expressions  of  his  opinion  on 
various  transactions.  More  recently  still,  Colonel 
Mackeson,  the  Resident  at  Peshawur,  his  imme 
diate  superior,  for  whom  he  entertained  the  high 
est  regard  and  affection,  which  was,  I  believe, 
reciprocated,  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  dagger  of 
the  assassin.  This  had,  if  possible,  a  still  more 
injurious  influence  on  my  brother's  position,  as 
the  new  Resident  was,  both  on  public  and  private 
grounds,  opposed  to  him,  and  made  no  secret  of 
his  wish  to  get  rid  of  him  from  the  charge  of  the 
frontier. 

With  a  prospect  of  such  support,  my  brother's 


CALUMNIES.  207 

enemies  were  not  likely  to  be  idle.  He  had  been 
warned  more  than  once  of  their  undermining  op 
erations  ;  but  strong  in  conscious  integrity,  and 
unwilling  to  suspect  others  of  conduct  which  he 
would  have  scorned  himself,  he  "  held  straight 
on  "  upon  his  usual  course,  till  he  found  himself 
overwhelmed  by  a  mass  of  charges  affecting  his 
conduct,  both  in  his  military  and  civil  capacity. 

All  that  malice  could  invent  or  ingenuity  dis 
tort,  was  brought  forward  to  give  importance  to 
the  accusations  laid  against  him.  Every  trifling 
irregularity  or  error  of  judgment  was  so  magni 
fied,  that  a  mighty  fabric  was  raised  on  a  single 
grain  of  truth  ;  and  the  result  was,  that  towards 
the  close  of  the  year  he  was  summoned  before  a 
court  of  inquiry  at  Peshawur. 

That  which  seemed  principally  to  give  color  to 
the  charges  against  him  was,  that  there  was  un 
deniably  confusion  and  irregularity  in  the  regi 
mental  accounts ;  but  this  confusion,  far  from 
having  originated  with  him,  had  been  very  mate 
rially  rectified.  He  had  succeeded  to  the  com 
mand  in  October,  1852,  and  within  twenty-four 
hours  started  on  a  campaign  which  lasted  be 
tween  seven  and  eight  weeks,  without  any  audit 
of  accounts  between  himself  and  his  predecessor, 
who  had,  immediately  on  making  over  the  com 
mand,  left  for  England ;  so  that  he  found  a  mass 
of  unexplained  confusion,  which  he  had  been  en 
deavoring,  during  his  period  of  command,  grad 
ually  to  reduce  to  some  order.  This  he  had  to  a 


208  LETTER  FROM   SIR  R.   NAPIER. 

certain  extent  accomplished  when  summoned  un 
expectedly  to  undergo  an  investigation  and  meet 
the  gravest  accusations. 

I  will,  however,  in  preference  to  any  statements 
of  my  own,  which  might  not  unnaturally  be  sus 
pected  of  partiality,  insert  here,  though  it  was 
written  at  a  later  period,  a  letter,  giving  an  ac 
count  of  the  whole  affair,  from  one  whose  opinion 
must  carry  the  greatest  weight  with  all  who  know 
him,  either  personally  or  by  reputation,  Sir  R. 
Napier.  It  has  somewhat  of  an  official  charac 
ter,  as  it  was  addressed  to  the  colonel  of  the  1st 
Bengal  European  Fu^ileers,  when  my  brother 
subsequently  rejoined  that  regiment. 

And  I  may  here  observe,  with  regard  to  any 
thing  which  I  may  now  or  hereafter  say  reflecting 
on  the  conduct  and  motives  of  those  concerned 
in  this  attempt  to  ruin  my  brother's  prospects, 
that  I  should  not  have  ventured  to  make  these 
remarks  simply  on  his  authority,  unless  I  had  had 
them  confirmed,  and  more  than  confirmed,  by 
men  of  the  highest  character,  both  civil  and  mil 
itary,  who  were  cognizant  of  all  the  transactions, 
and  did  not  scruple  to  express  their  indignation 
at  what  they  characterized  as  a  most  cruel  and 
unjust  persecution. 

From  COLONEL  (now   SIR  R.)  NAPIER,   Chief  Engineer,   Punjaub,  to 
COLONEL  WELCHMAN,  1st  Bengal  Fusileers. 

"  UMBALA,  March,  1856. 

•"Mr  DEAR  COL.  WELCHMAN,  —  I  have  great  pleas 
ure  in   meeting   your    request,  to    state   in   writing    my 


LETTER  FROM   SIR  R.  NAPIER.  209 

opinion  regarding  my  friend  Lieutenant  Hodson's  case. 
Having  been  on  intimate  terms  of  friendship  with  him 
since  1846,  I  was  quite  unprepared  for  the  reports  to  his 
disadvantage  which  were  circulated,  and  had  no  hesita 
tion  in  pronouncing  my  utter  disbelief  in,  and  repudiation 
of  them,  as  being  at  variance  with  everything  I  had  ever 
known  of  his  character.  On  arriving  at  Peshawur  in 
March,  1855,  I  found  that  Lieutenant  Hodson  had  been 
undergoing  a  course  of  inquiry  before  a  Special  Military 
Court,  and  on  reading  a  copy  of  the  proceedings,  I  per 
ceived  at  once  that  the  whole  case  lay  in  the  correctness 
of  his  regimental  accounts  ;  that  his  being  summoned 
before  a  Court,  after  suspension  from  civil  and  military 
duty,  and  after  an  open  invitation  (under  regimental 
authority)  to  all  complainants  in  his  regiment,  was  a 
most  unusual  ordeal,  such  as  no  man  could  be  subjected 
to  without  the  '  greatest  disadvantage ;  and  notwithstand 
ing  this,  the  proceedings'  did  not  contain  a  single  sub 
stantial  case  against  him,  provided  he  could  establish  the 
validity  of  his  regimental  accounts ;  and  that  he  could 
do  this  I  felt  more  than  confident.  The  result  of  Major 
Taylor's  laborious  and  patient  investigation  of  Lieutenant 
Hodson's  regimental  accounts  has  fully  justified,  but  has 
not  at  all  added  to,  the  confidence  that  I  have  throughout 
maintained  in  the  honor  and  uprightness  of  his  conduct. 
It  has,  however,  shown  (what  I  believed,  but  had  not  the 
same  means  of  judging  of)  how  much  labor  Lieutenant 
Hodson  bestowed  in  putting  the  affairs  of  his  regiment 
in  order.  Having  seen  a  great  deal  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  Guide.  Corps  has  been  employed,  I  can  well 
understand  how  difficult  it  has  been  to  maintain  anything 
like  regularity  of  office  ;  and  how  impossible  it  may  be 
for  those  who  remain  quietly  in  stations  with  efficient 


210  MR.    MONTGOMERY. 

establishments,  to  understand  or  make  allowance  for  the 
difficulties  and  irregularities  entailed  by  rapid  movements 
on  service,  and  want  of  proper  office  means  in  adjusting 
accounts  for  which  no  organized  system  had  been  estab 
lished.  The  manner  in  which  Lieutenant  Hodson  has 
elucidated  his  accounts  since  he  had  access  to  the  neces 
sary  sources  of  information,  appears  to  be  highly  credit 
able.  I  have  twice  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  been 
associated  with  him  on  military  service,  when  his  high 
qualities  commanded  admiration.  I  heartily  rejoice, 
therefore,  both  as  a  friend  and  as  a  member  of  the  ser 
vice,  '  at  his  vindication  from  most  grievous  and  unjust 
imputations.'  And  while  I  congratulate  the  regiment  on 
his  return  to  it,  I  regret  that  one  of  the  best  swords 
should  be  withdrawn  from  the  frontier  service.  —  I  re 
main,  yours  very  sincerely,  "  R.  NAPIER." 

On  the  receipt  of  Major  Reynell  Taylor's  re 
port,  to  which  reference  is  here  made,  Mr.  Mont 
gomery,  (then  one  of  the  Commissioners  for  the 
Punjaub,  now  the  Chief  Commissioner  in  Oude,) 
one  of  the  men  who,  under  God,  have  saved  In 
dia,  wrote  as  follows  :  — 

"  To  me  the  whole  report  seemed  more  satis 
factory  than  any  one  I  had  ever  read  ;  and  con 
sidering  Major  Taylor's  high  character,  patience, 
and  discernment,  and  the  lengthened  period  he 
took  to  investigate  every  detail,  most  triumphant. 
This  I  have  expressed  to  all  with  whom  I  have 
conversed  on  the  subject." 

All  this,  however,  is  an  anticipation  of  the  due 


SUPPRESSION   OF   REPORT.  211 

order  of  events.  I  must  go  back  again  to  the 
Court  of  Inquiry,  in  order  to  show  more  clearly 
the  injustice  to  which  Lieutenant  Hodson  was 
exposed.  The  proceedings  of  the  Court  termi 
nated  on  the  15th  January,  1855.  Till  they  were 
submitted  to  the  Governor- General,  no  decision 
could  be  given,  nor  any  report  published,  though 
every  publicity  had  been  given  to  the  accusations 
made.  Up  to  the  last  week  in  July,  the  papers 
had  not  been  forwarded  from  Lahore  to  be  laid 
before  him.  Meanwhile,  not  merely  had  my 
brother  been  suspended  from  civil  and  military 
duty  during  the  inquiry,  but  without  waiting  for 
the  result,  he  had  been  superseded  in  his  com 
mand,  on  the  ground  that  his  continuing  in  Eu- 
zofzai,  where  his  corps  was  stationed,  was  incon 
sistent  with  the  public  interest.  This  will  appear 
scarcely  credible,  but  worse  remains  behind. 

Ten  months  after  the  conclusion  of  the  inquiry, 
in  consequence  of  repeated  applications  from  my 
brother  for  a  minute  investigation  of  his  accounts, 
Major  Taylor,  as  has  been  mentioned,  was  ap 
pointed  to  examine  them,  and  on  the  13th  Febru 
ary,  1856,  made  his  report.  The  document  itself 
is  too  long  and  technical  for  publication,  but  the 
written  opinions  I  have  already  quoted,  of  Sir  R. 
Napier  and  Mr.  Montgomery,  are  sufficient  to 
show  that  it  completely  established  Lieutenant 
Hodson's  innocence,  and  cleared  him  from  the 
grievous  and  unjust  imputations  cast  upon  him. 
Yet  in  March,  1857,  he  discovered  that  this  report 


212  OFFICIAL  ENMITY. 

had  never  been  communicated  to  the  Commander- 
in- Chief,  or  Secretary  to  Government.  It  had 
been  quietly  laid  aside  in  some  office,  and  no 
more  notice  taken.  Lord  Dalhousie  left  India, 
having  heard  all  that  could  be  said  against  him, 
and  nothing  in  his  vindication.  I  might  give 
many  other  details  illustrative  of  the  manner  in 
which,  even  in  the  nineteenth  century,  official  en 
mity  can  succeed  in  crushing  one  who  is  so  un 
fortunate  as  to  be  its  victim,  and  of  the  small 
chance  which  exists  of  redress,  but  I  will  not 
weary  my  readers  with  them. 

I  give  a  few  extracts  from  my  brother's  letters 
at  different  times  in  the  course  of  these  proceed 
ings,  to  show  the  spirit  in  which  he  bore  this 
trial,  bitter  though  it  was,  peculiarly  grievous  to 
one  of  his  sensitive  feelings  on  all  points  of 
honor. 

In  August,  1855,  he  wrote  to  me :  — 

They  have  not  been  able,  with  all  their  efforts,  to  fix 
anything  whatever  upon  me ;  all  their  allegations  (and 
they  were  wide  enough  in  their  range)  have  fallen  to  the 
ground  ;  and  the  more  serious  ones  have  been  utterly  dis 
proved  by  the  mere  production  of  documents  and  books. 
The  most  vicious  assertion  was,  that  I  had  been  so  care 
less  of  the  public  money  passing  through  my  hands,  that 
I  had  not  only  kept  no  proper  accounts,  but  that  paper 
had  never  been  inked  on  the  subject,  and  consequently  it 
would  be  impossible  to  ascertain  whether  or  not  any  de 
ficiency  existed  in  my  regimental  treasure  chest ;  and  this 
after  I  had  laid  my  books  on  the  table  of  the  Court,  and 


OFFICIAL   ENMITY.  213 

begged  that  they  might  be  examined,  and  after  I  had 
subsequently  officially  applied  for  their  examination  by 
proper  accountants.  Well,  after  seven  months'  delay,  I 
was  offered  the  opportunity  of  producing  them  ;  and  thus 
I  have  now  at  last  a  chance  of  bringing  out  the  real  state 
of  the  case.  Up  to  the  present  time,  the  most  critical  and 
hostile  examination,  lasting  a  month,  has  only  served  to 
prove  my  earliest  assertion,  and  my  only  one.  that  I  could 
give  an  ample  account  of  every  farthing  of  money  in 
trusted  to  me,  whenever  it  might  please  the  powers  that 
be  to  inquire  into  it.  The  sum  total  of  money  repre 
sented  by  my  account  amounts  to  about  120,000/.,  pass 
ing  through  my  hands  in  small  fractional  sums  of  receipt 
and  expenditure. 

Not  only  do  they  find  that  I  have  regular  connected 
accounts  of  everything,  but  that  these  are  supported  by 
vouchers  and  receipts.  It  has  been  a  severe  trial,  and 
the  prolonged  anxiety  and  distress  of  the  past  nine  months 
have  been  nearly  insupportable. 

I  almost  despair  of  making  you,  or  any  one  not  on  the 
spot,  understand  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  whole  affair ;  and 
I  can  only  trust  to  the  result,  and  to  the  eventual  produc 
tion  of  all  the  papers,  to  put  things  in  their  proper  light. 
In  the  mean  time  I  must  endeavor  to  face  the  wrong,  the 
grievous,  foul  wrong,  with  a  constant  and  unshaken  heart, 
and  to  endure  humiliation  and  disgrace  with  as  much 
equanimity  as  I  may.  and  with  the  same  soldierlike 
fortitude  with  which  I  ought  to  face  danger,  suffering, 
and  death  in  the  path  of  duty. 


214  PUBLIC   AND  PRIVATE  TROUBLES. 


NAOSHERA,  Nov.  4th,  1855. 

Your  two  sad  letters  came  close  upon  one  another,  but 
I  could  not  write  then.  The  blow  *  was  overwhelming  ; 
coming,  too,  at  a  time  of  unprecedented  suffering  and 
trial,  it  was  hard  to  bear  up  against.  What  a  year  this 
has  been  !  What  ages  of  trial  and  of  sorrow  seem  to 
have  been  crowded  into  a  few  short  months.  Our  dar 
ling  babe  was  taken  from  us  on  the  day  my  public  mis 
fortunes  began,  and  death  has  robbed  us  of  our  father 
before  their  end.  The  brain-pressure  was  almost  too 
much  for  me,  coming  as  the  tidings  did  at  a  time  of  pecu 
liar  distress.  .  .  .  The  whole,  indeed,  is  so  peculiarly 
sad  that  one's  heart  seems  chilled  and  dulled  by  the  very 
horror  of  the  calamity.  ...  I  look  with  deep  anx 
iety  for  your  next  letters,  but  the  mail  seems  exclusively 
occupied  with  Sebastopol,  and  to  have  left  letters  be 
hind. 

Again,  to  his  sister,  some  months  later  :  — 

I  trust  fondly  that  better  days  are  coming  ;  but  really 
the  weary  watching  and  waiting  for  a  gleam  of  daylight 
through  the  clouds,  and  never  to  see  it,  is  more  harassing 
and  harder  to  bear  up  against  than  I  could  have  supposed 
possible.  I  have  been  tried  to  the  utmost,  I  do  think.  A 
greater  weight  of  public  and  private  calamity  and  sorrow 
surely  never  fell  at  once  on  any  individual.  But  it  has 
to  be  borne,  and  I  try  to  face  it  manfully  and  patiently, 
and  to  believe  that  it  is  for  some  good  and  wise  end. 

By  the  way,  I  was  much  gratified  and  surprised  at  see 
ing,  in  an  article  in  the  Calcutta  Review  written  and 
signed  by  Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  a  most  flattering  testi- 

*  The  news  of  his  lather's  death. 


PRESSURE   OF   WORK.  215 

mony  *  to  my  military  character.     Coming  at  such  a  time 
it  is  doubly  valuable. 

In  another  letter,  he  says  :  — 

Tt  is  pleasant  indeed  to  find  that  not  a  man  who  knows 
me  has  any  belief  that  there  has  been  anything  wrong. 
They  think  I  have  been  politically  wrong  in  not  consult 
ing  my  own  interests  by  propitiating  the  powers  that  be, 
and  they  know  that  I  am  the  victim  of  official  enmity  in 
high  places  ;  but  I  am  proud  to  say,  that  not  one  of  them 
all  (and  indeed  I  believe  I  might  include  my  worst  foes 
and  accusers  in  the  category)  believes  that  I  have  com 
mitted  any  more  than  errors  of  judgment,  and  that,  owing 
to  the  pressure  of  work  which  came  upon  me  all  at  once, 
and  which  was  more  than  one  man  could  manage  at  once, 
without  leaving  something  to  be  done  at  a  more  conven 
ient  season. 

1  can  honestly  say,  that  for  months  before  I  was  sum 
moned  into  Peshawur  for  the  inquiry,  I  had  never  known 
what  a  half  hour's  respite  from  toil  and  anxiety  was  ;  in 
fact,  ever  since  I  first  traced  the  lines  of  the  fort  at  Mur- 
dan,  in  December,  1853,  I  was  literally  weighed  down 
by  incessant  calls  on  my  time  and  attention,  and  went  to 
bed  at  night  thoroughly  exhausted  and  worn  out,  to  rise 
before  daylight  to  a  renewed  round  of  toil  and  worry. 

I  remember  telling  John  Lawrence,  that,  if  they  got  rid 
of  me,  he  would  require  three  men  to  do  the  work  which 
I  had  been  doing  for  Government ;  and  it  has  already 
proved  literally  true.  They  have  had  to  appoint  three 

*  "  Lieutenant  Hodson,  who  has  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
Guides,  is  an  accomplished  soldier,  cool  in  council,  daring  in  action, 
with  great  natural  ability  improved  by  education.  There  are  few- 
abler  men  in  any  service." 


216  REJOINING  REGIMENT. 

different   officers  to  the  work  I  had  clone  single-handed, 
and  that,  too,  after  the  worst  was  over ! 


UMBALA,  March  25$,  1856. 

Of  myself  I  have  little  to  tell  you  ;  things  have  been 
much  in  statu  quo.  Major  Taylor's  report,  of  which  I 
am  going  to  send  you  a  copy,  is  most  satisfactory.  There 
is  much  which  you  will  probably  not  understand  in  the 
way  of  technicalities,  but  the  general  purport  will  be  clear 
to  you. 

I  expect  to  join  my  regiment  in  about  three  weeks. 
They  are  marching  up  from  Bengal  to  Dugshai,  a  hill 
station  sixty  miles  from  hence,  and  ten  from  Kussowlee 
and  Subathoo  respectively,  so  I  shall  be  close  to  old 
haunts.  I  am  very  glad  we  shall  be  in  a  good  climate, 
for  though  I  have  not  given  in  or  failed,  I  am  thankful 
to  say,  still  the  last  eighteen  months  have  told  a  good 
deal  upon  me,  and  I  am  not  up  to  heat  or  work.  If  the 
colonel  (Welohman)  can,  he  is  going  to  give  me  the  ad 
jutancy  of  the  regiment,  which  will  be  a  gain  in  every 
way,  not  only  as  showing  to  the  world  that,  in  spite  of  all 
which  has  happened,  there  is  nothing  against  my  charac 
ter,  but  as  increasing  my  income,  and  giving  me  the  op 
portunity  of  learning  a  good  deal  of  work  which  will  be 
useful  to  me,  and  of  doing,  I  hope,  a  good  deal  of  good 
amongst  the  men.  It  will  be  the  first  step  up  the  ladder 
again,  after  tumbling  to  the  bottom. 

Soon  afterwards.  Lieutenant  Hodson  rejoined 
the  1st  Fusileers  at  Dugshai.  It  may  be  neces 
sary  for  the  sake  of  unprofessional  readers,  to  ex- 


MR.   C.   RAIKES.  217 

plain  that  during  the  whole  time  that  he  had  been 
Assistant  Commissioner  in  the  Punjaub,  or  in 
command  of  the  Guides,  he  had  continued  to  be 
long  to  this  regiment,  as  political  or  staff  appoint 
ments  in  India  do  not  dissolve  an  officer's  con 
nection  with  his  own  regiment. 

On  April  8th  he  writes  from  Dugshai  :  — 

I  have  but  little  to  tell  you  to  cheer  you  on 

my  account.  My  health,  which  had  stood  the  trial  won 
derfully,  was  beginning  to  fail,  but  I  shall  soon  be  strong 
again  in  this  healthy  mountain  air  7,000  feet  above  the 
sea. 

This  is  a  great  thing,  but  it  is  very  hard  to  begin  again 
as  a  regimental  subaltern  after  nearly  eleven  years'  hard 
work.  However,  I  am  very  fond  of  the  profession,  and 
there  is  much  to  be  done,  and  much  learnt,  and,  under 
any  other  circumstances,  I  should  not  regret  being  with 
English  soldiers  again  for  a  time.  Every  one  believes 
that  I  shall  soon  be  righted,  but  the  "  soon  "  is  a  long 
time  coming.  I  was  much  gratified  the  other  day  by  an 
unexpected  visit  from  Mr.  Charles  Raikes,  one  of  the 
Punjaub  Commissioners,  who  was  passing  through  Um- 
bala,  on  his  way  to  take  a  high  appointment  at  Agra.  I 
had  no  personal  knowledge  of  him,  but  he  came  out  of 
his  way  to  call  upon  me,  and  express  his  sympathy  and 
his  appreciation  of  (what  he  was  pleased  to  call)  my  high 
character. 

He  said  much  that  was  encouraging  and  pleasing,  which 
I  need  not  repeat.  It  served  pleasantly,  however,  to  show 
that  the  tide  was  turning,  and  that  in  good  men's  minds 
my  character  stood  as  high  as  ever. 

In  addition  to   his  other  troubles,  my  brother 

10 


218  DUGSHAI. 

was  suffering  all  this  time  from  a  dislocated  ankle. 
He  says  in  June  :  — 

I  have  nothing  to  tell  you  of  myself,  save  that  I  have 
to-day,  for  the  first  time  for  eight  weeks,  put  rny  foot  to 
the  ground ;  I  cannot,  however,  yet  walk  a  yard  without 
crutches. 


DUGSHAI,  Sept.  24^,  1856. 

I  strive  to  look  the  worst  boldly  in  the  face  as  I  would 
an  enemy  in  the  field,  and  to  do  my  appointed  work  reso 
lutely  and  to  the  best  of  iny  ability,  satisfied  that  there  is 
a  reason  for  all ;  and  that  even  irksome  duties  well  done 
bring  their  own  reward,  and  that  if  not,  still  they  are 
duties. 

But  it  is  sometimes  hard  to  put  up  with  the  change ! 
I  am  getting  a  little  stronger  on  my  ankle,  but  am  still 
unable,  at  the  end  of  five  months,  to  do  more  than  walk 
about  the  house.  Fancy  rny  not  being  able  to  walk  200 
yards  for  half  a  year. 


DUGSHAI,  Nov.  Gth. 

I  yearn  to  be  at  home  again  and  see  you  all,  but  I  am 
obliged  to  check  all  such  repinings  and  longings,  and 
keep  down  all  canker  cares  and  bitternesses,  and  set  my 
teeth  hard,  and  will  earnestly  to  struggle  on  and  do  my 
allotted  work  as  well  and  cheerfully  as  may  be,  satisfied 
that  in  the  end  a  brighter  time  will  come. 

I  know  nothing  in  my  brother's  whole  career 
more  truly  admirable,  or  showing  more  real  hero- 


REGIMENTAL   DUTIES.  219 

ism,  than  his  conduct  at  this  period  while  battling 
with  adverse  fates. 

Deeply  as  he  felt  the  change  in  his  position,  he 
accommodated  himself  to  it  in  a  manner  that 
won  the  admiration  and  esteem  of  all.  Instead 
of  despising  his  regimental  duties,  irksome  and 
uninteresting,  comparatively  speaking,  as  they 
were,  he  discharged  them  with  a  zeal  and  energy, 
as  well  as  cheerfulness,  which  called  forth  the  fol 
lowing  strong  expressions  of  commendation  from 
the  colonel  of  his  regiment.  They  are  taken  from 
a  letter  addressed  to  the  Adjutant- General  of  the 
army  :  — 

"  UMBALA,  Jan.  18th,  1857. 

.  .  .  "  I  consider  it  a  duty,  and  at  the  same  time  feel  a 
great  pleasure,  in  requesting  you  to  submit,  for  the  con 
sideration  of  his  Excellency  the  Commander-in-Chief, 
this  my  public  record  and  acknowledgment  of  the  very 
essential  service  Lieutenant  Hodson  has  done  the  regi 
ment  at  my  especial  request.  On  the  arrival  of  the  regi 
ment  at  Dugshai,  I  asked  Lieutenant  Hodson  to  act  as 
quartermaster.  I  pointed  out  to  him  that,  mainly  owing 
to  a  rapid  succession  of  quartermasters  when  the  regi 
ment  was  on  field-service,  the  office  had  fallen  into  very 
great  disorder  ;  .  .  and  that  he  would  have  to  restore 
order  out  of  complicated  disorder,  and  to  organize  a  more 
efficient  working  system  for  future  guidance  and  observ 
ance.  To  my  great  relief  and  satisfaction,  Lieutenant 
Hodson  most  cheerfully  undertook  the  onerous  duties ; 
he  was  suffering  at  the  same  time  severe  bodily  pain, 
consequent  on  a  serious  accident,  yet  this  did  not  in  any 
way  damp  his  energy,  or  prevent  his  most  successfully 


220          TESTIMONY   OF    COLONEL   WELCHMAN. 

carrying  out  the  object  in  view.  .  .  It  is  impossible  to  do 
otherwise  than  believe  that  this  officer's  numerous  quali 
fications  are  virtually  lost  to  the  State  by  his  being  em 
ployed  as  a  regimental  subaltern,  as  he  is  fitted  for,  and 
capable  of  doing  great  justice  to,  any  staff  situation  ;  and 
I  am  convinced,  that  should  his  Excellency  receive  with 
approval  this  solicitation  to  confer  on  him  some  appoint 
ment  suited  to  the  high  ability,  energy,  and  zeal  which  I 
fear  I  have  but  imperfectly  brought  to  notice,  it  would  be 
as  highly  advantageous  to  the  service  as  gratifying  to 
myself.  An  officer  whose  superior  mental  acquirements 
are  fully  acknowledged  by  all  who  know  him ;  who  has 
ably  performed  the  duties  of  a  civil  magistrate  in  a  dis 
turbed  district ;  whose  knowledge  of  engineering  has 
been  practically  brought  into  play  in  the  construction  of  a 
fort  on  the  Northwestern  frontier ;  whose  gallant  conduct 
in  command  of  a  regiment  in  many  a  smart  engagement 
has  been  so  highly  commended,  and  by  such  competent 
authorities,  is  one  whom  I  have  confidence  in  recom 
mending  for  advancement;  and  in  earnestly,  yet  most 
respectfully,  pressing  the  recommendation,  I  plead  this 
officer's  high  qualifications  as  my  best  apology.  .  .  . 

"  I  have,  &c. 
(Signed)  "  J.  WELCHMAN, 

"  Lieut.- Col.  Commanding  1st  Bengal 
Fusileers." 

Quite  as  strong  was  the  testimony  borne  by 
Brigadier- General  Johnstone  :  — 

"  To  the  ADJUTANT-GENERAL  of  the  Army. 

"  SIRHIND  DIVISION,  HEAD-QUARTERS,  UMBALA, 
Jan.  30//t,  1857. 

«  gir?  —  My  mere  counter-signature  to  Colonel  Welch- 


GENERAL  JOHNSTONE.  221 

man's  letter  in  favor  of  Lieutenant  Hodson  seems  so 
much  less  than  the  occasion  demands,  that  I  trust  his 
Excellency  will  allow  of  my  submitting  it  in  a  more 
special  and  marked  manner.  I  beg  to  accompany  Col 
onel  Welchman's  letter  with  a  testimony  of  my  own  to 
the  high  character  of  the  officer  in  question. 

"  Rejoining  his  regiment  as  a  lieutenant,  from  the  ex 
ercise  of  an  important  command  calling  daily  for  the 
display  of  his  energy,  activity,  and  self-reliance,  and  fre 
quently  for  the  manifestation  of  the  highest  qualities  of 
the  partisan  leader,  or  of  the  regular  soldier,  Lieutenant 
Hodson,  with  patience,  perseverance,  and  zeal,  undertook 
and  carried  out  the  laborious  minor  duties  of  the  regi 
mental  staff  as  well  as  those  of  a  company ;  and,  with  a 
diligence,  method,  and  accuracy  such  as  the  best  trained 
regimental  officers  have  never  surpassed,  succeeded,  in  a 
manner  fully  justifying  the  high  commendation  bestowed 
on  him  by  his  commanding  officer.  As  a  soldier  in  the 
field,  Lieutenant  Hodson  has  gained  the  applause  of 
officers  of  the  highest  reputation,  eye-witnesses  of  his 
ability  and  courage.  On  the  testimony  of  others,  I  refer 
to  these,  and  that  testimony  so  honorable  to  his  name  I 
beg  herewith  to  submit  to  his  Excellency. 

"  On  my  own  observation,  I  am  enabled  to  speak  to 
Lieutenant  Hodson's  character  and  qualities  in  quarters, 
and  I  do  so  in  terms  of  well-earned  commendation,  and 
at  the  same  time  in  the  earnest  hope  that  his  merits  and 
qualifications  will  obtain  for  him  such  favor  and  prefer 
ment  at  the  hands  of  his  Excellency  as  he  may  deem  fit 
to  bestow  on  this  deserving  officer. 
"  I  have,  &c. 
(Signed)  "  M.  C.  JOHNSTONE, 

"  Brigadier-  General,  <fc." 


222  WINTER   CAMP. 

I  must  add  a  few  more  extracts  from  Lieuten 
ant  Hodson's  letters  to  myself  and  others,  to 
complete  this  part  of  his  history :  — 

DUGSHAI,  April  frfr,  1857. 

Your  letter  written  this  day  three  months  reached  me 
at  Umbala,  at  our  mildest  of  "  Chobhams  "  in  the  middle 
of  February,  and  deserved  an  earlier  reply,  but  I  have 
been  taken  quite  out  of  the  private  correspondence  line 
lately,  by  incessant  calls  on  my  time.  Regimental  work 
in  camp  in  India,  with  European  regiments,  no  less  than 
in  quarters,  is  contrived  to  cut  up  one's  time  into  infinites 
imal  quantities,  and  keep  one  waiting  for  every  other 
half  hour  through  the  day.  I  had  more  time  for  writing 
when  I  commanded  a  frontier  regiment,  and  governed  a 
province  !  These  winter  camps  are  very  profitable,  how 
ever,  and  not  by  any  means  unpleasant ;  and  as  Umbala 
was  very  full,  we  had  an  unusual  amount  of  society  for 
India,  and  some  very  pleasant  meetings.  I  was  too  lame 
to  dance,  but  not  to  dine,  and  take  part  in  charades  or 
tableaux,  and  so  forth,  and  so  contrived  to  keep  alive 
after  the  day's  work  was  over.  I  got  some  /riwfof  and  vast 
kindness  for  performing  the  more  strictly  professional 
role  of  brigade-major  to  one  of  the  infantry  brigades, 
and  had  excellent  opportunities  of  learning  the  essential, 
but  so  seldom  taught  or  learned  art,  of  manoeuvring 
bodies  of  troops.  My  service  has  been  so  much  on  the 
frontier  and  with  detached  corps,  that  I  had  previously 
had  but  small  opportunities  for  the  study.  I  had  an 
interview  with  General  Anson  the  other  day,  and  I  hope 
a  satisfactory  one.  He  is  a  very  pleasant  mannered  and 
gentlemanly  man,  open  and  frank  in  speech,  and  quick  to 
a  proverb  in  apprehension,  taking  in  the  pith  of  a  matter 


HOPES    OF   REDRESS.  223 

at  a  glance.  As  I  always  thought,  it  turned  out  that 
Major  Taylor's  report  had  never  reached  the  Corn- 
mander-in- Chief,  and  they  had  only  the  old  one-sided 
story  to  go  upon.  I  explained  the  whole  to  him,  and  as 
he  had  already  very  kindly  read  the  papers  relating  to 
the  matter,  he  quite  comprehended  it,  and  begged  me  to 
give  him  a  copy  of  Taylor's  report,  when  he  would,  if 
satisfied,  try  and  see  justice  done  me.  I  trust,  therefore, 
that  at  last  something  will  be  done  to  clear  me  from  all 
stigma  in  the  matter.  As  soon  as  that  is  done  he  will 
give  me  some  appointment  or  other,  unless  Government 
do  it  themselves.  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  writes  to  me 
most  kindly,  and  is  only  waiting  a  favorable  opportunity 
to  help  me. 

We  are  in  a  state  of  some  anxiety,  owing  to  the  spread 
of  a  very  serious  spirit  of  disaffection  among  the  Sepoy 
army.  One  regiment  (the  19th  of  the  line)  has  already 
been  disbanded,  and,  if  all  have  their  dues,  more  yet  will 
be  so  before  long.  It  is  our  great  danger  in  India,  and 
Lord  Hardinge's  prophecy,  that  our  biggest  fight  in  India 
would  be  with  our  own  army,  seems  not  unlikely  to  be 
realized,  and  that  before  long.  Native  papers,  education, 
and  progress  are  against  keeping  200,000  native  merce 
naries  in  hand. 


To  a  Friend  in  Calcutta. 

DUGSHTAI,  May  5^,  1857. 

Unless  I  hear  of  something  to  my  advantage  mean 
while,  I  propose  starting  for  Calcutta  about  the  middle  of 
this  merry  month  of  May,  with  the  object  of  endeavoring 
to  effect,  by  personal  appeal  and  explanations,  the  self- 
vindication  which  no  mere  paper  warfare  seems  likely  to 


224     PROPOSED  JOUPvXKY  TO  CALCUTTA. 

extort  from  Government.  I  had  waited  patiently  for 
nearly  two  years,  "  striving  to  be  quiet  and  do  my  own 
business,"  in  the  hope  that  justice,  however  tardy,  would 
certainly  overtake  me,  when  an  incident  occurred  which 
showed  that  I  must  adopt  a  more  active  mode  of  proce 
dure  if  I  wished  for  success.  On  applying  for  employ 
ment  with  the  force  in  Persia,  I  met  with  a  refusal,  on 
the  ground  of  what  had  occurred  when  in  command  of 
the  Guides.  This,  you  will  allow,  was  calculated  to  drive 
a  man  to  extremities  who  had  been  under  the  impression 
all  along  that  his  conduct,  whensoever  and  howsoever 
called  in  question,  had  been  amply  vindicated. 

It  appeared  that  while  everything  to  my  disadvantage 
had  been  carefully  communicated  by  the  Punjaub  author 
ities  to  army  head-quarters,  they  had,  with  true  liberality 
and  generosity,  suppressed  "  in  toto  "  the  results  of  the 
subsequent  inquiry  which  had,  in  the  opinion  of  all  good 
men,  amply  cleared  my  good  name  from  the  dirt  lavished 
on  it.  Even  the  Secretaries  to  Government  had  never 
heard  of  this  vindication,  and  were  going  on  believing 
all  manner  of  things  to  my  discredit ;  Lord  Canning, 
also,  being  utterly  ignorant  of  the  fact  that,  subsequently 
to  Lord  Dalhousie's  departure,  the  results  of  the  second 
investigation  had  been  communicated  to  Government. 

There  were  clearly  three  courses  open  to  me,  "  a  la 
Sir  Robert  Peel." 

1st.  Suicide. 

2d.  To  resign  the  service  in  disgust,  and  join  the 
enemy. 

3d.  To  make  the  Governor-General  eat  his  words,  and 
apologize. 

I  chose  the  last. 

The  first  was  too  melodramatic  and  foreign ;  the  second 


INTERVIEW  WITH  GENERAL  ANSON.      225 

would  have  been  a  triumph  to  my  foes  in  the  Punjaub  ; 
besides,  the  enemy  might  have  been  beaten  ! 

I  have  determined  therefore,  on  a  trip  to  Calcutta. 

You  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  agree  with  me  that  I  am 
perfectly  right  in  taking  the  field  against  the  enemy,  and 
not  allowing  the  Government  to  rest  until  I  have  carried 
my  point. 

In  another  letter  of  the  same  date :  — 

I  have  had  another  interview  with  General  Anson  at 
Simla,  and  nothing  could  have  been  more  satisfactory. 
He  was  most  polite,  even  cordial,  and  while  he  approved 
of  my  suggestion  of  going  down  to  Calcutta  to  have  per 
sonal  explanations  with  the  people  there,  and  evidently 
thought  it  a  plucky  idea  to  undertake  a  journey  of  2,500 
miles  in  such  weather  (May  and  June),  yet  he  said  that 
I  had  better  wait  till  I  heard  again  from  him,  for  he 
would  write  himself  to  Lord  Canning,  and  try  to  get 
justice  done  me. 

I  do  trust  the  light  is  breaking  through  the  darkness, 
and  that  before  long  I  may  have  good  news  to  send  you, 
in  which  I  am  sure  you  will  rejoice. 

It  did  break  from  a  most  unexpected  quarter. 

This  was  the  last  letter  received  in  England 
from  my  brother  for  some  months.  Six  days 
after  it  was  written,  the  outbreak  at  Meerut  oc 
curred,  and  almost  immediately  India  was  in  a 
blaze. 

"  Fortunate  was  it,"  my  brother  afterwards 
said,  "  that  I  was  delayed  by  General  Anson  till 
he  received  an  answer  from  Lord  Canning,  or  I 
10* 


226  TURN  OF   FORTUNE. 

should  undoubtedly  have  been  murdered  at  some 
station  on  the  road.  The  answer  never  came.  It 
must  have  been  between  Calcutta  and  Allygurh 
when  disturbances  broke  out,  and  was,  with  all 
the  daks  for  many  days,  destroyed  or  plundered." 

Most  fortunate,  too,  was  it,  (if  we  may  use 
such  an  expression,)  that  in  the  hour  of  India's 
extremity,  Lieutenant  Hodson  was  within  reach 
of  the  Commander-in- Chief,  and  available  for 
service.  It  was  no  longer  a  time  to  stand  on 
official  etiquette.  In  that  crisis,  which  tried  the 
bravest  to  the  utmost,  when  a  strong  will  and 
cool  head  and  brave  heart  were  needed,  he  at 
once  rose  again  to  his  proper  place  in  counsel 
and  in  action. 

But  I  must  not  anticipate  what  belongs  to  the 
next  chapter.  One  fact,  however,  I  cannot  re 
frain  from  stating  here,  as  an  appropriate  conclu 
sion  of  this  narrative,  that  within  six  weeks  of 
the  date  of  the  last  letter,  Lieutenant  Hodson 
was  actually  commanding  in  the  field,  before  the 
walls  of  Delhi,  by  General  Barnard's  special  re 
quest,  the  very  corps  of  Guides  from  which  he 
had  been  so  unjustly  ousted  two  years  before. 

"  Was  there  ever,"  he  says  in  reference  to  it,  "  a 
stranger  turn  on  the  wheel  of  fortune  ?  I  have 
much  cause  to  be  grateful,  and  I  hope  I  shall  not 
forget  the  bitter  lessons  of  adversity," 


PAET  II. 


NARRATIVE   OF  THE  DELHI  CAMPAIGN, 

185T. 


CHAPTER   I. 

MARCH    DOWN    TO     DELHI. 

ON  the  10th  May  occurred  the  outbreak  at 
Meerut,  closely  followed  by  the  massacre  at 
Delhi. 

On  the  13th,  orders  were  received  at  Dugshai, 
from  the  Commander-in-Chief,  for 'the  1st  Bengal 
European  Fusileers  to  march  without  delay  to 
Umbala,  where  all  the  regiments  from  the  hill 
stations  were  to  concentrate.  They  set  out  that 
afternoon,  and  reached  Umbala,  a  distance  of 
sixty  miles,  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day. 
From  this  point  Lieutenant  Hodson's  narrative 
commences.  It  is  compiled  from  the  letters  or 
bulletins  which  he  sent  day  by  day  to  his  wife, 
written  as  best  they  might,  in  any  moments 
which  he  could  snatch  from  the  overwhelming 
press  of  work,  sometimes  on  the  field,  sometimes 
on  horseback.  It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  ob 
serve,  that  they  were  not  intended  for  the  public 


228  DELHI   CAMPAIGN. 

eye,  and  would  never  have  been  published  had 
my  lamented  brother  been  alive,  as  he  had  the 
greatest  horror  of  any  of  his  letters  appearing  in 
print.  Now,  unhappily,  the  case  is  different,  and 
I  feel,  in  common  with  many  of  his  friends,  that 
in  justice  both  to  himself  and  to  the  gallant  band 
who  formed  the  "  army  before  Delhi,"  this  record 
of  heroic  fortitude  and  endurance  ought  not  to  be 
withheld.  It  does  not  profess  to  be  a  history  of 
the  siege,  or  military  operations  connected  with 
it ;  though  it  is  a  most  valuable  contribution  to 
any  history,  as  Lieutenant  Hodson,  from  his  po 
sition  as  head  of  the  Intelligence  Department, 
knew  better,  probably,  than  any  other  man  what 
was  going  on  both  amongst  the  enemy  and  in 
our  own  force ;  and  his  incidental  notices  will 
tell,  better,  perhaps,  than  the  most  labored  de 
scription,  what  our  men  did  and  what  they  suf 
fered.  Full  justice  will  probably  never  be  done 
them,  nor  their  trying  position  appreciated  as  it 
ought  to  be ;  besiegers  in  name,  though  more 
truly  besieged;  exposed  to  incessant  attacks  night 
and  day ;  continually  thinned  in  numbers  by  the 
sword,  the  bullet,  the  sunstroke,  and  cholera,  and 
for  many  weeks  receiving  no  reinforcements ; 
feeling  sometimes  as  if  they  were  forgotten  by 
their  countrymen,  and  yet  holding  their  ground 
against  a  nation  in  arms,  without  murmuring  or 
complaining,  and  with  unshaken  determination. 
All  accounts  agree  in  speaking  of  the  cheerful 
and  "  plucky  "  spirit  that  prevailed,  both  amongst 


CHEERFUL   SPIRIT.  229 

officers  and  men,  notwithstanding  fatigue,  pri 
vation,  and  sickness,  as  something  quite  remark 
able  even  amongst  British  soldiers.  And  if  there 

O 

was  one  more  than  another  who  contributed  to 
inspire  and  keep  up  this  spirit,  if  there  was  one 
more  than  another  who  merited  that  which  a 
Roman  would  have  considered  the  highest  praise, 
that  he  never  despaired  of  his  country,  it  was 
Lieutenant  Hodson.  I  have  seen  a  letter  from  a 
distinguished  officer,  in  which  he  says :  — 

"  Affairs  at  times  looked  very  queer,  from  the 
frightful  expenditure  of  life.  Hodson's  face  was 
then  like  sunshine  breaking  through  the  dark 
clouds  of  despondency  and  gloom  that  would 
settle  down  occasionally  on  all  but  a  few  brave 
hearts,  England's  worthiest  sons,  who  were  deter 
mined  to  conquer." 

If  any  should  be  disposed  to  think  that  my 
brother,  in  these  letters,  speaks  too  exclusively  of 
his  own  doings,  they  must  remember,  in  the  first 
place,  to  whom  they  were  addressed  ;  and  second 
ly,  that  in  describing  events  —  quorum  pars  mag-na 
fuit  —  it  would  be  almost  impossible  not  to  speak 
of  himself. 

He  himself,  even  in  writing  to  his  wife,  thinks 
it  necessary  to  apologize  for  being  "  egotistical." 
I  believe,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  highest  in 
terest  of  the  following  narrative  will  be  found  to 
consist  in  its  being  a  personal  narrative,  a  history 
of  the  man,  an  unreserved  outspeaking  of  his 


230  DELHI    CAMPAIGN. 

mind  and  feelings ;  nor  am  I  afraid  of  others 
thinking  apology  called  for.  Nor,  however  much 
they  may  disagree  from  his  criticisms  on  men  and 
measures,  will  they  deny  that  he  was  well  quali 
fied,  both  by  his  opportunities  of  observation  at 
the  time,  and  his  past  experience  of  Asiatic  char 
acter,  to  form  a  judgment  and  express  an  opinion 
without  exposing  himself  to  the  charge  of  pre 
sumption. 

UMBALA,  May  I&ih,  1857. 

We  got  here  after  two  nights  of  very  harassing  march 
ing.  We  started  badly,  the  men  having  been  drinking 
before  they  came  to  parade,  and  they  were  hurried  too 
much  in  going  down  hill,  consequently  there  was  much 
straggling ;  but,  thanks  to  tattoos  (ponies)  and  carts  and 
elephants,  sent  out  to  meet  us,  we  got  in  to-day  in  toler 
able  completeness.  Affairs  are  very  serious,  and  unless 
very  prompt  and  vigorous  measures  are  taken,  the  whole 
army,  and  perhaps  a  large  portion  of  India,  will  be  lost 
to  us.  Delhi  is  in  the  hands  of  the  mutineers,  — no  Eu 
ropean  that  we  can  hear  of  being  left  alive  there,  —  men, 
women,  and  children,  all  who  were  caught,  have  been 
butchered !  Brigadier  Graves,  Abbott,  and  some  others 
have  escaped.  Willoughby,  the  Ordnance  Commissary  in 
charge  of  the  magazine  and  arsenal,  is  said  to  have  fired 
it  himself  to  prevent  the  mutineers  having  possession  of 
the  contents  to  arm  themselves  with,  —  of  course  sacri 
ficing  his  own  life  to  such  a  duty.  A  lac  and  a  half 
of  muskets  would  otherwise  have  been  in  the  hands  of 
the  insurgents.  The  Commander-in-Chief  came  in  this 
morning.  Here  alarm  is  the  prevalent  feeling,  and 
conciliation,  of  men  with  arms  in  their  hands  and  in 


ALARM   AND   INDECISION.  231 

a  state  of  absolute  rebellion,  the  order  of  the  day.  This 
system,  if  pursued,  is  far  more  dangerous  than  anything 
the  Sepoys  can  do  to  us.  There  is  an  outbreak  at 
Ferozepoor,  but  the  Europeans  have  the  fort  in  their 
possession  ;  if  not,  we  should  be  without  arms,  for  the 
regiments  here  have  no  ammunition,  and  Philour,  our 
nearest  source  of  supply,  was  nearly  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  Sepoys.  Even  now,  some  say  it  is  at  their  mercy. 
Fortunately  the  Maharaja  of  Puttiala  is  stanch,  and  so 
are  other  Sikh  chiefs  hereabouts.  We  shall  go  on  to 
Delhi  in  a  few  days.  That  city  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
insurgents,  and  the  King  proclaimed  Emperor  of  Hindos- 
tan  !  I  do  trust  that  the  authorities  will  act  with  vigor, 
else  there  is  no  knowing  where  the  affair  will  end.  Oh 
for  Sir  Charles  Napier  now  ! 

16th.  —  Little  is  known  for  certain  of  what  is  going  on, 
as  there  is  no  communication  with,  or  from,  below.  At 
present,  the  native  troops  have  all  gone  off  bodily ;  none 
remain  in  cantonments.  We  march,  I  believe,  on  Mon 
day,  —  9th  Lancers,  75th  Queen's,  1st  Fusileers,  and  nine 
guns,  taking  the  5th,  60th  Native  Infantry,  and  4th  Cav 
alry  with  us,  —  nice  companions  !  However,  they  can  do 
us  no  harm,  and  they  might  do  great  mischief  if  left  here. 
There  has  been  an  outbreak  at  Ferozepoor  and  Philour, 
but  the  magazine  and  bridge  at  the  first  place  are  safe  in 
the  hands  of  her  Majesty's  60th,  and  the  authorities  at 
Jullundur  sent  off  a  party  of  Europeans  and  Horse  Ar 
tillery  at  once,  who  secured  the  fort  at  Philour ;  other 
wise  we  should  have  had  no  ammunition  but  what  the  sol 
diers  carried  in  their  pouches.  The  times  are  critical, 
but  I  have  no  fear  of  aught  save  the  alarm  and  indeci 
sion  of  our  rulers.  All  here  is  sheer  confusion,  and  there 
is  a  tendency  to  treat  these  rebellious  Sepoys  with  a  ten- 


232  MASSACRE   AT   DELHI. 

derness  as  misplaced  as  it  would  be  pernicious.  There  is 
actually  a  talk  of  concentrating  troops,  and  waiting  to  be 
joined  by  others  before  marching  on  Delhi ;  and  they 
utterly  refuse  to  detach  even  a  party  on  Kurnal  to  pro 
tect  the  officers  and  treasury  there.  This  is  all  very  sad, 
and  sometimes  makes  one  disposed  to  question  whether 
we  are  not  suffering  from  the  "  dementia  "  which  Provi 
dence  sends  as  the  forerunner  of  ruin.  However,  our 
course  is  not  yet  run,  and  whatever  clouds  may  gather 
over  us,  there  are  good  results  in  store.  The  Punjaub  is 
quiet.  The  native  troops  at  Mean-Meer  were  quietly 
disarmed,  and  do  their  guards  with  bayonets  only.  This 
excellent  arrangement  is  Sir  John  Lawrence's  doing. 
Nothing  is  known  of  Lucknow,  or  indeed  of  any  place 
below  Meerut.  Allygurh  is  supposed  to  have  gone. 
Some  details  of  the  massacre  at  Delhi,  which  I  have  just 
heard  from  one  of  the  escapees,  are  awful  beyond  belief. 
Charlie  Thornason  is  said  to  have  escaped ;  Mr.  Jennings, 
the  chaplain,  and  his  daughter  were  among  the  victims. 
Mr.  Beresford,  his  wife,  and  five  daughters  all  massacred. 
Poor  Colonel  Ripley  lived  long  enough  to  say  he  was 
killed  by  his  own  men.  De  Teissier's  native  artillery 
men  joined  the  rebels  with  their  guns ;  —  he  escaped, 
though  severely  wounded. 

Ylih.  —  We  are  all  terribly  anxious  about  the  hill  sta 
tions,  reports  having  reached  us  that  the  Goorkhas  have 
mutinied  and  attacked  Simla.  100  men,  with  ammunition, 
have  gone  off  this  morning  to  Kussowlee.  Dugshai  is 

easily  defended.     Simla  is  most  to  be  feared 

All  this  has  put  out  of  my  head  for  the  time  the  good 
news  for  us.  Yesterday  I  was  sent  for  by  the  Com- 
mander-in- Chief,  and  appointed  Assistant  Quartermaster- 
General  on  his  personal  staff,  to  be  under  the  immediate 


MOVABLE   FORCE.  233 

orders  of  his  Excellency,  and  with  command  to  raise 
100  horse  and  50  foot,  for  service  in  the  Intelligence 
Department,  and  as  personal  escort.  All  this  was  done, 
moreover,  in  a  most  complimentary  way,  and  it  is  quite 
in  my  line.  I  am  prepared  to  set  to  work  vigorously; 
but  I  confess  my  anxiety  on  account  of  the  reports  we 
hear  respecting  the  hill  stations  makes  me  cruelly  anx 
ious General  Anson,  it  seems,  wrote  about 

me  to  Talbot,  but  could  get  no  answer  before  the  out 
break  occurred,  which  makes  this  act  of  his,  on  his  own 
responsibility,  the  more  complimentary.  It  is  very  un 
certain  now  when  we  move  on.  All  is  quiet  in  the  Pun- 
jaub,  I  am  thankful  to  say,  and  the  rebels  have  had 
a  lesson  read  them  at  Ferozepoor  which  will  do  good. 
The  45th  Native  Infantry  were  nearly  cut  to  pieces  by 
the  10th  Light  Cavalry,*  who  pursued  sthem  for  twelve 
miles,  and  cut  them  to  pieces.  This  last  is  a  great  fact. 
One  regiment  at  least  has  stood  by  us,  and  the  moral 
effect  will  be  great ;  nothing  known  yet  from  below. 
Poor  Macdonald,  of  the  20th  Native  Infantry,  his  wife, 
and  their  three  babes,  murdered,  with  adjuncts  not  to 
be  mentioned.  John  Lawrence  is  acting  with  great 
vigor,  and  they  have  organized  a  movable  force  at 
Jhelum,  composed  of  her  Majesty's  24th  and  27th,  the 
Guides,  Kumaon  Battalion,  and  other  Irregulars,  to  move 
in  any  required  direction.  Montgomery  writes  in  great 
spirits  and  confidence  from  Lahore.  I  am  just  sent  for 
by  the  chief. 

KURNAL,    May    18th.  —  According    to    orders,    I    left 

Umbala  at  8.30  p.  M.,  and  reached  here  at  4.30  A.  M., 

having  prepared  everything  at  Peeplee  en  route.     I  had 

only  "  Bux  "  t  with  me,  and  did  not  apprehend  any  dan- 

*  They  afterwards  mutinied.  t  His  bearer. 


234  NEW  REGIMENT. 

ger  until  within  a  few  miles  of  Kurnal,  but  nothing 
whatever  happened;  the  road  was  deserted,  and  not  a 
soul  to  be  seen.  I  am  sheltered  in  a  house  occupied  by 
the  refugees  from  Delhi  and  the  civil  officers  of  Kurnfil, 
about  fifteen  in  all,  with  Mrs.  Wagentrieber,  her  hus 
band,  and  sundry  sergeants,  &c.  The  European  troops 
will  be  here  to-night.  What  would  I  not  give  for  a 
couple  of  hundred  of  my  old  Guides  !  I  flatter  myself 
I  'could  do  something  then.  As  it  is,  I  must  bide  my 
time  until  -I  can  get  a  few  good  men  together  on  whom 
I  can  depend.  I  have  been  so  busy  all  day,  writing  let 
ters  on  my  knee,  sending  off  electric  messages,  cum  mult  is 
aliis.  I  can  but  rejoice  that  I  am  employed  again  ;  cer 
tain,  too,  as  I  am,  that  the  star  of  Old  England  will 
shine  the  brighter  in  the  end,  and  we  shall  hold  a  prouder 
position  than  ever.  But  the  crisis  is  an  awful  one ! 

May  \$th.  —  This  morning  the  Commander-in-Chief 
ordered  me  to  raise  and  command  an  entire  new  regi 
ment  of  Irregular  Horse.  I  do  not  know  who  or  what 
has  been  at  work  for  me,  but  he  seems  willing  enough  to 
give  me  work  to  do,  and  I  am  willing  enough  to  do  it. 
The  European  troops  arrived  this  morning  (I  sent  a  tele 
graphic  message  to  say  so) ;  and  the  Rajah  of  Jheend, 
with  his  men,  last  night.  I  have  offered  to  clear  the 
road  and  open  the  communication  to  Meerut  and  Delhi 
with  the  Rajah's  Horse.  If  the  Chief  will  consent,  I 
think  I  am  sure  of  success.  It  is  believed  that  nothing 
has  occurred  at  Agra.  The  Punjaub  all  quiet  up  to  last 
night ;  as  long  as  that  is  the  case  we  shall  do.  With 
God  and  our  Saxon  arms  to  aid  us,  I  have  firm  faith  in 
the  result. 

20th.  —  Deep  anxiety  about  the  safety  of  the  hill  sta 
tions  continues  unabated  ;' no  letters,  —  no  certainty, — 


EXPEDITION  TO   MEERUT.  235 

only  rumors.  Were  it  not  for  this,  I  should  enter  with 
full  zest  into  the  work  before  me,  and  the  fresh  field 
which  I  owe  to  General  Anson's  kindness.  He  has  at 
last  consented  to  my  trying  to  open  communication  with 
Meerut,  so  I  start  this  afternoon  to  try  to  make  my  way 
across  with  a  party  of  the  Jheend  Horse ;  and  I  have, 
under  Providence,  little  doubt  of  success,  though  I  would 
rather  have  a  party  of  my  dear  old  Guides.  There  has 
been  an  outbreak  at  Agra,  but  all  the  Europeans  are 
shut  up  in  the  fort ;  Allygurh  and  Moradabad  have  mu 
tinied,  but  by  God's  help  we  shall  get  safely  through. 

20th,  2  P.M.  —  Just  one  line  to  say  I  am  starting,  and 
shall  not  be  able  to  write  to-morrow  or  next  day.  Still 
no  tidings  from  the  hills !  This  is  a  terrible  additional 
pull  upon  one's  nerves  at  a  time  like  this,  and  is  a  phase 
of  war  I  never  calculated  on. 

May  24:th.  —  I  returned  from  my  expedition  to  Mee 
rut  late  last  night.  It  was  eminently  successful,  and  I 
am  off  immediately  to  Umbala  to  report  progress  to  the 
Chief.  Much  relieved  by  a  letter  from  you. 

25^. —  A  hurried  line  only  to  say  I  am  safe  and  well, 
but  dead  beat.  I  went  yesterday  to  Umbala  by  mail- 
cart  to  report  to  the  Commander-in-Chief.  Got  there  at 
6  P.M.,  and  started  back  again  at  11  P.  M.  As  I  have 
only  had  one  night  in  bed  out  of  five,  I  am  tolerably 
weary.  The  Commander-in-Chief  arrived  this  morning. 
I  will  give  you  more  particulars  when  I  have  slept. 

From  a  letter  written  from  camp  before  Delhi, 
in  August,  to  Colonel  D.  Seaton  :  — 

.  .  .  "As  soon  as  the  Commander-in-Chief  reached 
Umbala  he  sent  for  me,  and  put  me  in  charge  of  the  In 
telligence  Department,  as  an  Assistant  Quartermaster- 


236  RIDE   TO  MEERUT. 

General  under  his  personal  orders.  I  left  Umbala  by 
mail-cart  that  night  for  Kurnal,  ascertained  the  state  of 
things,  made  arrangements  for  the  protection  and  shelter 
of  the  advanced  party,  and  offered  to  open  the  road  to 
Meerut,  from  Kurnal.  He  replied  by  telegraph.  Sev 
enty-two  hours  afterwards,  I  was  back  in  Kurnal.  and 
telegraphed  to  him  that  I  had  forced  my  way  to  Meerut,* 
and  obtained  all  the  papers  he  wanted  from  the  General 
there.  These  I  gave  him  four  hours  later  in  Umbala. 
The  pace  pleased  him,  I  fancy,  for  he  ordered  me  to 
raise  a  Corps  of  Irregular  Horse,  and  appointed  me 
Commandant." 


May  25th,  Evening.  —  I  wrote  this   morning  a  few 

*  Letter  from  an  Officer, 

"  When  the  mutiny  broke  out,  our  communications  were  completely 
cut  off.  One  night,  on  outlying  picket  at  Meerut,  this  subject  being 
discussed,  I  said,  '  Hodson  is  at  Umbala,  I c know;  and  I'll  bet  he  will 
force  his  way  through,  and  open  communications  with  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  and  ourselves.'  At  about  three  that  night  I  heard 
my  advanced  sentries  firing.  I  rode  off  to  see  what  was  the  matter, 
and  they  told  me  that  a  party  of  enemy's  cavalry  had  approached 
their  post.  When  day  broke,  in  galloped  Hodson.  He  had  left  Kurnal 
(seventy-six  miles  off)  at  nine  the  night  before,  with  one  led  horse 
and  an  escort  of  Sikh  cavalry,  and,  as  I  had  anticipated,  here  he  was 
with  despatches  for  Wilson !  How  I  quizzed  him  for  approaching  an 
armed  post  at  night  without  knowing  the  parole.  Hodson  rode 
straight  to  Wilson,  had  his  interview,  a  bath,  breakfast,  and  two 
hours'  sleep,  and  then  rode  back  the  seventy -six  miles,  and  had  to 
fight  his  way  for  about  thirty  miles  of  the  distance." 
Another  officer,  writing  to  his  wife  at  this  time,  says:  — 
"  Hodson's  gallant  deeds  more  resemble  a  chapter  from  the  life  of 
Bayard  or  Amadis  de  Gaul,  than  the  doings  of  a  subaltern  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  The  only  feeling  mixed  with  my  admiration  for 
him  is  envy." 


PANIC  AT  MEERUT.  237 

hurried  lines  to  keep  you  from  anxiety.  I  was  too  tired 
to  do  more,  the  continued  night-work  had  wearied  me  out, 
and  when  I  got  back  here  at  half-past  six  this  morning  I 
was  fairly  dead  beat.  Poor  Charlie  Thomason  is  with 
me.  I  am  happy  to  have  been  in  some  measure  instru 
mental  in  getting  him  in  in  safety,  by  offering  a  heavy 
sum  to  the  villagers.  He  had  been  wandering  about  in 
the  jungles,  with  several  other  refugees,  for  days,  without 
food  or  shelter.  I  am  deeply  grieved  for  him,  poor  fel 
low  !  The  state  of  panic  at  Meerut  was  shocking ;  all 
the  ladies  shut  up  in  an  inclosed  barrack,  and  their  hus 
bands  sleeping  in  the  men's  barracks  for  safety,  and  never 
going  beyond  the  sentries. 

General  Hewitt  is  in  a  state  of  helpless  imbecility. 
The  best  and  boldest  spirit  there  was  our  friend  Alfred 
Light,  doing  his  work  manfully  and  well.  He  had  had 
some  miraculous  escapes.  My  commission  is  to  raise  a 
body  of  Irregular  Horse  on  the  usual  rates  of  pay  and 
the  regular  complement  of  native  officers,  but  the  num 
ber  of  troops  to  be  unlimited,  —  i.  e.,  I  am  to  raise  as 
many  men  as  I  please  ;  2,000,  if  I  can  get  them.  The 
worst  of  it  is,  the  being  in  a  part  of  the  country  I  do 
not  know,  and  the  necessity  of  finding  men  who  can  be 
trusted.  Mr.  Montgomery  is  aiding  me  wonderfully.  He 
called  upon  some  of  my  old  friends  among  the  Sirdars 
to  raise  men  for  me.  Shumshere  Singh  is  raising  one 
troop  ;  Tej  Singh  ditto  ;  Emaumoodeen  ditto  ;  Mr.  Mont 
gomery  himself  one  or  two  ditto.  All  these  will  be  ready 
in  about  three  weeks.  I  am  to  remain  Assistant  Quar 
termaster-General,  attached  to  the  Commander-in-Chief. 
This  allows  me  free  access  to  him  at  any  time,  and  to 
other  people  in  authority,  which  gives  me  power  for 
good.  The  Intelligence  Department  is  mine  exclusively, 


238        DEATH  OF  GENERAL  ANSON. 

and  I  have  for  this  line  Sir  Henry's  old  friend,  the  one- 
eyed  Moulvie,  Rujnb  Alee,  so  I  shall  get  the  best  news 
in  the  country.  Montgomery  has  come  out  very,  very 
strong  indeed,  and  behaved  admirably.  The  native  regi 
ments  at  Peslmwur  have  been  disarmed.  One  at  Nao- 
shera  (the  55th)  was  sent  over  to  occupy  Murdan  in  the 
absence  of  the  Guides.  They  have  mutinied,  and  seized 
the  fort,  and  confined  the  Assistant  Commissioner.  Gen 
eral  Cotton  is  going  against  them,  and  the  Kuzofzai  folks 
will  do  their  best  to  prevent  a  man  escaping.  As  yet  the 
Punjaub  is  quiet,  and  the  Irregulars  true.  The  Guides 
are  coming  down  here  by  forced  marches. 

CAMP,  PANEEPUT,  27tk.  —  I  wrote  to  you  this  morn 
ing,  but  as  I  shall  not  probably  be  in  the  way  of  daks 
to-morrow,  I  write  a  few  lines  to  be  sent  after  I  start 
onwards.  You  will  have  heard  of  the  sad  death  of  Gen 
eral  Anson.  He  was  taken  with  cholera  yesterday,  and 
died  without  pain  from  collapse  this  morning.  He  made 
over  command  to  General  Barnard  with  his  last  breath. 
Sir  Henry  only  arrived  from  Umbala  just  in  time.  His 
death  is  politically  a  vast  misfortune  just  at  this  crisis, 
and  personally  I  am  deeply  grieved,  and  the  natives  will 
be  highly  elated.  I  am  even  now  hard  at  work,  raising 
my  men,  or  taking  means  to  do  so,  and  have  already  had 
applications  for  officers  ;  but  I  shall  not  settle  on  officers 
till  the  men  begin  to  collect,  and  this  time  I  will  take  care 
to  have  none  but  gentlemen,  if  I  can  help  it.  I  am  going 
downwards  to-night  to  look  after  the  bridge  *  on  this  side 
of  Delhi,  about  thirty  miles  hence,  by  which  the  Meerut 
troops  will  move  to  join  us.  I  take  the  Jheend  Horse  ; 
Colonel  T.  Seaton  is  commanding  the  GOth  Native  In 
fantry,  and  will  be  here  to-night  with  them.  I  don't  envy 

*  At  Bhfigput. 


SIXTIETH  NATIVE  INFANTRY.  239 

him  his  new  command,  but  he  is  a  good  man,  and  a  brave 
soldier,  and  if  any  man  can  get  them  over  the  mess,  he 
will  do  it.  Sir  H.  Barnard  is  a  fine  gentlemanly  old 
man,  but  hardly  up  to  his  work.  However,  we  must  all 
put  our  shoulders  to  the  wheel,  and  help  him  over  the 
crisis.  I  trust  he  will  act  with  vigor,  for  we  have  de 
layed  far  too  long  already. 

2Sth.  —  There  is  nothing  new.  I  travelled  eighty 
miles  between  2  p.  M.  yesterday,  and  ten  this  morning, 
besides  heaps  of  business.  I  am  tired,  I  confess,  for  the 
heat  is  awful.  The  treasuries  are  empty,  and  no  drafts 
are  to  be  cashed,  so  how  we  are  to  get  money  I  cannot 
imagine.  We  hear  that  a  request  has  gone  to  Lord 
Canning  to  send  for  Pat  Grant  as  Commander-in- 
Chief,  pending  instructions.  I  grieve  for  poor  General 
Anson,  and  I  ought  to  do  so,  for  he  was  a  good  friend 
to  me. 

SUMALKA,  30th.  —  My  earnest  representations  and  re 
monstrances  seem  at  last  to  have  produced  some  effect, 
for  at  7  p.  M.  yesterday  we  got  an  order  to  move  on.  The 
head-quarters  follow  us  to-night  from  Kurnal.  The  "  we  " 
means  three  squadrons  of  9th  Lancers,  Money's  troop  of 
Horse  Artillery,  and  1st  Fusileers.  Brigadier  Hallifax  is 
in  command,  but  so  ill  from  heat  and  anxiety,  that  I  be 
gin  to  be  anxious  about  him,  and  whether  he  will  be  able 
to  remain  with  the  force  is  doubtful.  Colonel  T.  Seaton 
has  gone  on  to  Rohtuck  with  the  60th  Native  Infantry, 
who,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  desert  to  a  man  as  soon  as 
they  get  there.  It  is  very  plucky  of  him  and  the  other 
officers  to  go  ;  and  very  hard  of  the  authorities  to  send 
them  ;  a  half-hearted  measure,  and  very  discreditable,  in 
my  opinion,  to  all  concerned  ;  affording  a  painful  contrast 
to  Sir  John  Lawrence's  bold  and  decided  conduct  in  this 


240  MARCH  TO   DELHI. 

crisis.  The  old  Guides  are  to  be  here  on  the  8th  or  10th 
to  join  us.  The  heat  here  is  a  caution,  and  writing  in 
ihis  melting  climate  anything  but  easy,  especially  as 
chairs  and  tables  are  not  common.  This  regiment  (1st 
Fusileers)  is  a  credit  to  any  army,  and  the  fellows  are  in 
as  high  spirits  and  heart,  and  as  plucky  and  free  from 
croaking  as  possible,  and  really  do  good  to  the  whole 
force. 

KUSSOWLEE,  May  3Ist.  —  Here  we  are  one  more 
stage  on  our  road  to  Delhi ;  we  are,  however,  to  halt  a 
couple  of  days  or  so  at  the  next  stage  (Raee),  to  await 
the  arrival  of  General  Barnard.  Poor  Brigadier  Halli- 
fax  was  so  ill  that  he  would  clearly  have  died  had  he 
remained  here,  so  we  had  a  medical  committee,  put  him 
into  my  shigram  (a  travelling  wagon),  and  sent  him  off 
to  Kurnal  for  Umbala  and  the  hills.  I  sent  a  telegraphic 
message  for  Mrs.  Hallifax  to  meet  him  at  Umbala. 
This  is  but  the  beginning  of  this  work,  I  fear  ;  and  before 
this  business  ends,  we  who  are,  thank  God !  still  young 
and  strong  shall  alone  be  left  in  camp  ;  all  the  elderly 
gentlemen  will  sink  under  the  fatigue  and  exposure.  I 
think  of  asking  for  Mr.  Macdowell  as  my  second  in  com 
mand  ;  he  is  a  gentleman,  and  only  wants  opportunity  to 
become  a  gallant  soldier.  The  whole  onus  of  work  here 
is  on  my  shoulders ;  every  one  comes  to  me  for  advice 
and  assistance,  which  is  purely  absurd.  I  shall  do  all 
the  work  and  others  get  the  credit,  as  usual ;  but  in  these 
days  we  cannot  afford  to  spare  ourselves.  The  Empire  is 
at  stake,  and  all  we  love  and  reverence  is  in  the  balance. 
I  tried  to  persuade  them  to  send  General  Johnstone  to 
Meerut  to  supersede  Hewitt.  I  wish  he  had  been  there 
and  was  here ;  we  have  few  as  good. 

RAEE,  June  1st.  —  I  have  just  been  roused  up  from 


DEATH   OF   BRIGADIER  HALLIFAX.  241 

the  first  sleep  I  have  had,  for  I  don't  know  how  long, 
(lying  under  a  peepul-tree,  with  a  fine  breeze  like  liquid 
fire  blowing  over  me,)  by  the  news  that  the  dak  is  going, 
so  I  can  only  say  that  all  is  well,  and  that  we  are  here, 
about  twenty  miles  from  Delhi,  and  I  hope  ere  night  to 
capture  some  of  the  rascals  who  stripped  and  ill-treated 
two  ladies  near  this  the  other  day  on  their  flight  to  the 
hills. 

Colonel  Hope  Grant  has  arrived  to  command  the 
force  until  General  Barnard  comes,  which  will  be  on  the 
4th,  and  the  Meerut  people  also.  The  Delhi  mutineers 
marched  out  ten  miles,  and  attacked  Brigadier  Wilson 
on  the  night  of  the  30th,  at  Ghazeenuggur,  on  his  way 
to  this  place.  He  drove  them  back,  and  captured  all 
their  guns.  Some  8,000  or  10,000  of  them  came  out, 
and  he  had  only  about  1,000  men.  Long  odds,  this  ;  but 
of  course  all  his  men  were  Europeans.  I  fear  the  14th 
Irregulars  have  joined  the  mutineers.  If  they  would 
only  make  haste  and  get  to  Delhi,  we  might  do  some 
thing. 

RAEE,  2<f.  —  You  will  have  been  as  much  shocked  as 
I  was  by  the  tidings  of  poor  Brigadier  Hallifax's  death 
at  Kurnal,  only  a  few  hours  after  I  had  put  him  into  the 
carriage,  with  the  comfortable  assurance  that  his  wife 
would  meet  him  at  Umbala.  He  died  from  congestion 
of  the  brain.  I  have  been  much  affected  by  this,  for  I 
had  a  warm  regard  for  him,  and  his  very  helplessness 
the  last  few  days  seemed  to  strengthen  the  tie.  I  feel 
deeply  for  his  poor  wife  and  children.  Colonel  Mowat 
of  the  artillery  is  dead  too,  of  cholera.  The  weather  is 
undoubtedly  very  trying  for  old  arid  infirm  men  ;  but  we 
are  all  well  here,  and  there  is  no  sickness  to  speak  of 
among  the  troops.  All  will  be  here  to-morrow.  Head- 
11 


242  EAGER   TO   FIGHT. 

quarters,  75th,  Queen's,  and  remainder  of  9th  Lancers  ; 
the  heavy  guns  and  2d  Fusileers  are  only  a  short  way 
behind.  Colonel  Hope  Grant  commands.  The  Meeri.it 
folks  have  had  another  fight  (on  the  31st)  with  the  Delhi 
mutineers,  and  again  beaten  them  ;  but  this  constant  ex 
posure  is  very  trying  to  Europeans.  I  wish  we  were 
moving  nearer  Delhi  more  rapidly,  as  all  now  depends 
on  our  quickly  disposing  of  this  mighty  sore.  I  wish 
from  my  heart  we  had  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  here  ;  he  is 
the  man  for  the  crisis.  We  are  all  in  high  spirits  ;  only 
eager  to  get  at  the  villains  who  have  committed  atrocities 
which  make  the  blood  run  cold  but  to  think  of.  I  trust 
the  retribution  will  be  short,  sharp,  and  decisive. 

Another  batch  of  half-starved,  half-naked  Europeans, 
men,  women,  and  children  (a  deputy  collector  and  his 
family),  were  brought  into  camp  to-day,  after  wandering 
twenty-three  days  in  the  jungle. 

RAEE,  3d.  —  Things  are  so  quiet  in  the  Punjaub  that 
I  begin  to  hope  that,  if  we  do  but  make  haste  in  disposing 
of  Delhi,  the  campaign  may  not  be  so  long,  after  all. 
Everything  depends  on  that ;  we  dare  not,  however,  cal 
culate  on  such  good  fortune  either  to  our  arms  or  our 
selves.  The  head-quarters'  people  joined  this  morning ; 
they  seem  to  stand  it  better  than  I  expected.  Congreve 
complains  a  good  deal,  but  Keith  Young  and  Arthur 
Becher  are  well.  I  have  not  yet  seen  Sir  H.  Barnard. 
I  was  kept  up  and  out  half  the  night,  and  then  out  again 
at  daybreak,  so  I  am  too  tired  and  busy  to  pay  visits. 
There  has  been  no  further  fight  that  we  know  of.  Char 
lie  Thomason  rejoined  us  this  morning ;  he  has  picked 
up  a  little  since  his  starvation  time  ended,  and  does  not 
look  so  like  a  wild  beast  as  he  did.  Still  good  news 
from  Agra;  there  are,  however,  reports  which  tend  to 


RECONNOITRING.  243 

show  disturbances  in  the  Allyghur  and  Bolundshur  dis 
tricts. 

ALEEPORE,  5th.  —  You  must  not  be  anxious  on  my 
account ;  I  am  in  as  good  a  position  as  possible  for  a 
subaltern  to  be,  unless,  indeed,  I  had  my  regiment  ready 
for  service.  I  am  second  only  to  Becher  in  the  Quarter 
master-General  Department,  and  the  Intelligence  De 
partment  is  entirely  my  own.  I  feel  deeply  for  poor 
Mrs.  Hallifax  and  her  large  family,  and  am  delighted 
that  you  are  able  to  aid  them.  I  have  tried  everywhere 
to  get  a  bearer,  but  the  natives  will  not  serve  us  now, 
and  I  could  get  no  one  even  on  double  pay.  Only  two 
days  ago  I  succeeded  in  getting  a  Bheestie.  If  we 
could  but  get  all  the  seventy-four  native  infantry  regi 
ments  in  one  lump  we  could  manage  them,  but  they  will 
never  stand  after  we  get  our  guns  to  work.  I  rode  right 
up  to  the  Delhi  parade-ground  this  morning  to  recon 
noitre,  and  the  few  Sowars,  whom  I  met,  galloped  away 
like  mad  at  the  sight  of  one  white  face.  Had  I  had  a 
hundred  Guides  with  me  I  would  have  gone  up  to  the 
very  walls. 

ALEEPORE,  Qth.  —  All  the  force  is  assembled  to-day 
save  the  Meerut  portion,  and  they  will  be  up  to-night ; 
the  heat  is  severe,  but  not  unhealthy.  The  siege  guns 
came  in  this  morning,  and  the  2d  European  Bengal  Fusi- 
leers,  and  we  are  all  ready  to  move  on.  About  2,000  of 
the  rebels  have  come  out  of  Delhi,  and  put  themselves 
in  position  to  bar  our  road.  Even  your  pride  would  be 
satisfied  at  the  cry  when  I  ride  to  the  front  or  start  on 
any  little  excursion.  I  think  I  am  more  than  appreciated 
by  the  head-quarters'  people.  I  had  barely  finished  the 
word  when  I  was  sent  for  by  the  General,  and  had  a 
pretty  strong  proof  of  the  estimation  I  am  held  in.  He 


244  DELHI. 

had  been  urged  to  one  particular  point  of  attack ;  and 
when  I  went  into  the  tent,  he  immediately  turned  to  the 
assembled  council,  and  said,  "I  have  always  trusted  to 
Hodson's  intelligence,  and  have  the  greatest  confidence 
in  his  judgment.  I  will  be  guided  by  what  he  can  tell 
me  now."  So  the  croakers,  who  had  been  groaning, 
were  discomfited.  This  is  of  course  for  your  own  eye 
and  ear  alone,  but  it  is  pleasant,  as  the  General  has  only 
known  me  since  he  has  now  joined  the  force.* 

ALEEPORE,  June  1th.  —  I  have  little  to  do  with  the 
"Jheend  Rajah's  troops,"  further  than  that  I  am  em 
powered  to  demand  as  many  as  I  want,  and  whenever 
I  want  them.  I  have  twenty-five  men  on  constant  duty 
with  me,  and  to-day  have  asked  for  double  that  number 
for  extra  duty ;  beyond  this,  I  have  not,  and  do  not  wish 
to  have,  further  to  do  with  them.  All  Rohilcund  is  in 
mutiny.  In  fact,  the  district  of  Agra  is  the  only  one  in 
the  Northwest  Provinces  now  under  our  control.  What 
a  terrible  lesson  on  the  evils  of  delay  !  It  will  be  long 
yet,  I  fear,  ere  this  business  is  over.  Oh  for  Sir  Henry 
Lawrence  !  Yet  personally  I  have  no  reason  to  com 
plain. 

CAMP,  DELHI,  June  8th,  1857. —  Here  we  are  safe 
and  sound,  after  having  driven  the  enemy  out  of  their 
position  in  the  cantonments  up  to  and  into  the  walls  of 
Delhi !  I  write  a  line  in  pencil  on  the  top  of  a  drum  to 
say  that  I  am  mercifully  untouched,  and  none  the  worse 
for  a  very  hard  morning's  work.  Our  loss  has  been  con 
siderable,  the  rebels  having  been  driven  from  their  guns 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Poor  Colonel  Chester  killed 

*  I  am  told  that,  one  day  about  this  time,  General  Barnard  said  at 
the  council  table,  "  We  must  have  our  best  man  to  lead  that  column ; 
—  Hodson,  will  you  take  it?  "  —  Ed. 


KILLED  AND  WOUNDED.  245 

at  the  first  fire.  Alfred  Light  (who  won  the  admiration 
of  all)  wounded,  but  not  severely.  No  one  else  of  the 
staff  party  killed  or  wounded  ;  but  our  general  returns 
will,  I  fear,  tell  a  sad  tale.  Greville  slightly  hurt.  The 
enemy's  guns  captured,  and  their  dispersion  and  rout 
very  complete.  God  has  been  very  good  to  me.  May 
His  gracious  protection  still  be  shown  ! 


CHAPTER   II. 

SIEGE     OF     DELHI. 

CAMP  BEFORE  DELHI,  June  9th. 

I  WROTE  you  a  few  hurried  lines  on  the  field  of  battle 
yesterday,  to  say  that  we  had  beaten  the  enemy,  and 
driven  them  back  five  miles  into  Delhi.  How  grateful 
rest  was  after  such  a  morning  !  The  Guides  came  in  to 
day,  and  it  would  have  done  your  heart  good  to  see  the 
welcome  they  gave  me  —  cheering  and  shouting  and 
crowding  round  me  like  frantic  creatures.  They  seized 
my  bridle,  dress,  hands,  and  feet,  and  literally  threw 
themselves  down  before  the  horse  with  the  tears  stream 
ing  down  their  faces.  Many  officers  who  were  present 
hardly  knew  what  to  make  of  it,  and  thought  the  crea 
tures  were  mobbing  me;  and  so  they  were,  —  but  for  joy, 
not  for  mischief.*  All  the  staff  were  witnesses  of  this, 
and  Colonel  Becher  says  their  reception  of  me  was  quite 
enough  to  contradict  all  the  reports  of  my  unpopularity  f 
with  the  regiment.  There  is  terrible  confusion  all  along 
the  road,  and  we  can  only  get  the  daks  carried  at  all  by 
bribery,  stage  by  stage. 

*  One  of  the  officers  who  witnessed  this  scene  told  me  that  the  ex 
clamation  of  the  men  on  meeting  him  was,  "  Burra  Lerai-wallah,"  or 
Great  in  battle.  —  Ed. 

t  This  had  been  one  of  the  unfounded  charges  against  him  two 
years  before. 


ENTHUSIASM  OF  GUIDES.  247 

June  Wth.  —  When  I  hastily  closed  my  letter  yester 
day,  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  write  a  long  one  for  to-day's 
dak,  and  to  have  had  some  hours'  quiet  to  myself;  but 
before  the  post  had  well  started,  our  troops  were  again 
under  arms,  the  mutineers  having  thought  proper  to  at 
tack  our  position  ;  consequently  I  was  on  horseback  the 
whole  day,  and  thankful  to  get  at  night  a  mouthful  of 
food  and  a  little  rest.  I  had  command  of  all  the  troops 
on  our  right,  the  gallant  Guides  among  the  rest.  They 
followed  me  with  a  cheer  for  their  old  commander,  and 
behaved  with  their  usual  pluck  ;  but  I  grieve  deeply  to 
say  that  poor  Quintin  Battye  was  mortally  wounded. 
He  behaved  most  nobly,  Daly  tells  me,  leading  his  men 
like  a  hero.  Poor  Khan  Singh  Rosah,  who  had  come 
down  from  the  Punjaub  to  join  me  only  the  same  morn 
ing,  was  badly  shot  through  the  shoulder.  Indeed,  I  did 
not  expose  myself  unnecessarily,  for,  having  to  direct  the 
movements  of  three  or  four  regiments,  I  could  not  be  in 
the  front  as  much  as  I  wished.  God  has  mercifully  pre 
served  me,  and  I  humbly  pray  will  continue  His  gracious 
care.  The  warmth  of  the  reception  again  given  me  by 
the  Guides  was  quite  affecting,  and  has  produced  a  great 
sensation  in  camp,  and  had  a  good  effect  on  our  native 
troops,  insomuch  that  they  are  more  willing  to  obey  their 
European  officers  when  they  see  their  own  countrymen's 
enthusiasm.  Numbers  of  the  men  want  to  come  and 
join  my  new  regiment,  —  in  fact,  the  largest  proportion 
of  the  cavalry  ;  but  of  course  I  cannot  take  them  now, 
nor  until  this  business  is  over.  I  am  wonderfully  well, 
and  only  a  little  anxious  about  the  hill  stations,  though  I 
have  full  confidence  in  Lord  William  Hay's  management. 
There  is  not  much  sickness  in  camp,  though  many 
wounded,  and  there  will  be  many  more,  I  fear,  before 


248  ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  SOLDIERS. 

we  get  into  Delhi.  We  have  been  fortunate  in  the 
weather  hitherto. 

The  enemy  are  at  least  four  or  five  times  our  strength, 
and  their  numbers  tell  when  we  come  near  them,  despite 
their  want  of  discipline.  They  are  splendid  artillery-men, 
however,  and  actually  beat  ours  in  accuracy  of  fire. 

Light  works  on  magnificently,  despite  a  severe  and 
painful  wound  in  the  head.  I  was  very  nearly  coming 
to  grief  once  this  morning,  for  the  sabre  I  thought  such 
a  good  one  went  the  first  blow,  and  the  blade  flew  out  of 
the  handle  the  second,  the  handle  itself  breaking  in  two. 
I  had  to  borrow  a  sword  from  a  horse  artillery-man  for 
the  remainder  of  the  day. 

The  Jheend  men  with  me  fought  like  excellent  soldiers. 
The  good  General  came  up  when  it  was  over  and  shook 
hands  with  me,  and  then  with  the  men  nearest.  Their 
Rajah  has  given  the  native  officer  a  pair  of  gold  bangles, 
and  doubled  his  pay.  This  is  the  way  to  encourage  sol 
diers,  European  as  well  as  native :  reward  them,  if  but 
with  thanks,  on  the  spot. 

Colonel  Thomas  Seaton  is  at  Rohtuck,  in  command  of 
the  60th  Native  Infantry.  How  much  longer  they  will 
refrain  from  mutiny  one  cannot  say ;  certainly  not  long ; 
though  if  any  man  can  keep  them  steady,  Seaton  will.  I 
hear  some  300  or  400  men  are  ready  for  me  ;  a  few  have 
already  arrived  with  Khan  Singh.  Meantime  my  posi 
tion  is  Assistant  Quartermaster- General  on  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief 's  personal  staff.  I  am  responsible  for 
the  Intelligence  Department,  and  in  the  field,  or  when 
anything  is  going  on,  for  directing  the  movements  of  the 
troops  in  action,  under  the  immediate  orders  of  the  Gen 
eral  ;  I  have  no  other  master,  and  he  listens  to  my  sug 
gestions  most  readily.  Charlie  Thomason  is  here,  work- 


ATTACK   ON   OUR   OUTPOSTS.  249 

ing  away  as  an  engineer.  Macdowell  is  well  and  merry, 
and  much  gratified  at  my  having  asked  for  him. 

June  14t/i.  —  We  were  roused  up  three  times  during 
the  night,  and  I  have  been  deep  in  business  with  the 
General  all  the  morning.  I  was  also  interrupted  by  the 
mournful  task  of  carrying  poor  Battye  to  his  grave ;  the 
brave  boy  died  last  night,  with  a  smile  on  his  lip,  and  a 
Latin  quotation  on  his  tongue,  "  Dulce  et  decorum  est 
pro  patria  rnori."  Poor  fellow !  he  had  quite  won  my 
heart  by  his  courage  and  amiable  qualities,  and  it  is  very, 
very  sad,  his  early  death.  It  was  a  noble  one,  however, 
and  worthy  of  a  soldier.  We  have  just  been  excited  in 
camp  by  the  hasty  arrival  "of  Colonel  Seaton  and  the  offi 
cers  of  the  late  60th  Native  Infantry,  which  mutinied 
yesterday,  and,  spite  of  all  Seaton  could  do,  they  fired  on 
their  officers,  who,  however,  all  escaped  and  came  into 
camp  safe,  after  a  ride  of  fifty  miles.  Seaton  is  with  me, 
looking  terribly  worn  and  harassed,  but  he  says  quite  well 
in  health,  though  disgusted  enough.  Dr.  Coghlan  (75th 
Regiment)  died  of  cholera  last  night,  but,  thank  God ! 
there  are  no  other  cases  in  camp.  I  am  much  vexed  at 
the  Lahore  Chronicle  "  butter,"  and  wish  people  would 
leave  me  alone  in  the  newspapers.  The  best  "  butter  "  I 
get  is  the  deference  and  respect  I  meet  with  from  all 
whose  respect  I  care  for,  and  the  affectionate  enthusiasm 
of  the  Guides,  which  increases  instead  of  lessening. 

June  1.2th.  —  We  were  turned  out  early  this  morning 
by  an  attack  on  our  outposts  and  position  generally  by 
the  rebel  army.  A  sharp  fight  ensued,  which  lasted  some 
four  hours.  The  enemy  came  on  very  boldly,  and  had 
got  close  to  us,  under  cover  of  the  trees  and  gardens, 
before  they  were  seen  ;  however,  the  troops  turned  out 
sharp,  and  drove  them  back  quickly  from  our  immediate 


250  PROJECT   OF   ATTACK. 

vicinity ;  they  were  then  followed  up,  and  got  most  heart 
ily  thrashed.  They  have  never  yet  been  so  punished  as 
to-day.  I  estimate  their  loss  in  killed  alone  at  400,  while 
our  loss  was  comparatively  trifling.  The  Guides  behaved 
admirably,  so  did  the  Fusileers,  as  usual.  Jacob's  wing 
was  the  admiration  of  all;  one  officer  (Captain  Knox, 
75th)  was  killed,  and  one  or  two  wounded,  I  do  not  know 
how  many  European  soldiers  ;  but  on  the  whole  the  affair 
was  a  very  creditable  one.  I  am  safe  and  sound  still, 
and  again  have  to  thank  the  Almighty  for  my  preserva 
tion. 

Yesterday,  I  was  ordered  by  the  General  to  assist 
Greathed,  and  one  or  two  more  engineers,  in  forming 
a  project  of  attack,  and  how  we  would  do  to  take  Delhi. 
We  drew  up  our  scheme  and  gave  it  to  the  General,  who 
highly  approved,  and  will,  I  trust,  carry  it  out ;  but  how 
times  must  be  changed,  when  four  subalterns  are  called 
upon  to  suggest  a  means  of  carrying  out  so  vitally  im 
portant  an  enterprise  as  this,  one  on  which  the  safety  of 
the  Empire  depends  !  Wilberforce  Greathed  is  next 
senior  engineer  to  Laughton.  Chesney  is  Major  of  the 
Engineer  Brigade,  and  Maunsell  commands  the  Sappers, 
so  they  had  official  claims  to  be  consulted. 

I  was  added,  because  the  General  complimentarily  told 
me  he  had  the  utmost  value  for  my  opinion,  and  though 
I  am  known  to  counsel  vigorous  measures,  it  is  equally 
well  known  I  do  not  urge  others  to  do  what  I  would  not 
be  the  first  to  do  myself.  It  is  a  much  more  serious  busi 
ness  than  was  at  first  anticipated.  Delhi  is  a  very  strong 
place,  and  the  vast  resources  which  the  possession  of  our 
arsenal  has  given  the  mutineers,  has  made  the  matter  a 
difficult  one  to  deal  with,  except  by  the  boldest  measures ; 
the  city  should  be  carried  by  a  coup-de-main,  and  that  at 


SIEGE   OF   DELHI.  251 

once,  or  we  may  be  many  weeks  before  Delhi,  instead  of 
within  it.  All  is  safe  at  Agra,  and  the  3d  Europeans 
are  quietly  under  cover.  A  large  party  of  us  have  just 
been  listening  to  a  letter  from  Lord  W.  Hay,  in  which  he 
speaks  in  the  highest  terms  of  the  conduct  of  some  of 
the  ladies  at  Simla,  and  says  that  the  sense  and  courage 
exhibited  by  one  or  two  of  them  has  given  a  severe  les 
son  to  those  who  ought  to  know  better  than  to  require  it 
from  the  weaker  sex. 

June  13th.  —  We  were  to  have  taken  Delhi  by  assault 
last  night,  but  a  "  mistake  of  orders,"  (?)  as  to  the  right 
time  of  bringing  the  troops  to  the  rendezvous,  prevented 
its  execution.  I  am  much  annoyed  and  disappointed  at 
our  plan  not  having  been  carried  out,  because  I  am  con 
fident  it  would  have  been  successful.  The  rebels  were 
cowed,  and  perfectly  ignorant  of  any  intention  of  so  bold 
a  stroke  on  our  part  as  an  assault:  the  surprise  would 
have  done  everything.  I  am  very  vexed,  though  the 
General  is  most  kind  and  considerate  in  trying  to  soothe 
my  disappointment,  —  too  kind,  indeed,  or  he  would  not 
so  readily  have  pardoned  those  whose  fault  it  is  that  we 
are  still  outside  Delhi. 

June  14^.  —  There  was  another  smart  engagement  last 
night,  the  60th  Native  Infantry  having  thought  fit  to  sig 
nalize  their  arrival  at  Delhi  by  an  attack  upon  our  posi 
tion  ;  they  suffered  for  it,  as  usual,  but  also,  as  usual,  we 
lost  several  good  men  whom,  God  knows,  we  can  ill  spare. 
Mr.  Kennedy  was  wounded,  and  a  Subadar  and  some  men 
of  the  Guides  killed.  I  was  not  very  much  under  fire, 
though  I  had  to  run  the  gantlet  now  and  then  of  a  rain 
of  shot  and  shells  with  which  the  rebels  belabored  us. 
Our  artillery  officers  themselves  say  that  they  are  out 
matched  by  these  rascals  in  accuracy  and  rapidity  of  fire ; 


252  ANXIETY  ABOUT   SIMLA. 

and  as  they  have  unlimited  supplies  of  guns  and  ammu 
nition  from  our  own  greatest  arsenal,  they  are  quite  be 
yond  us  in  many  respects.  I  am  just  returned  from  a 
long  ride  to  look  after  a  party  of  plunderers  from  the 
city,  who  had  gone  round  our  flank  ;  I  disposed  of  a  few. 

June  15th.  —  I  have  had  a  night  and  day  of  great 
anxiety,  owing  to  fresh  rumors  of  an  outbreak  at  Simla. 
I  have  much  confidence  in  Lord  W.  Hay's  judgment 
and  management  of  the  natives,  but  this  would  not  be 
sufficient,  were  the  station  once  attacked.  The  dak, 
however,  has  arrived,  and  quieted  our  apprehensions. 
There  was  a  sharp  fight  again  this  morning,  which  lasted 
some  hours  ;  our  loss  was  not  great,  but  every  man  is  a 
loss.  Our  project  for  the  assault  is  still  approved  of  and 
entertained,  but  put  off  from  day  to  day,  till  it  will  be  too 
late.  It  is  now  noon,  and  I  have  been  out  since  day 
break,  and  must  get  breakfast. 

June  IQth.  —  Everybody  here  is  infinitely  disgusted  at 
learning  the  truth  about  the  report  of  a  riot  at  Simla, 
and  the  opinion  is  universal  that  ought  to  be  re 
moved.  Neville  Chamberlain  is  Adjutant- General  of 
the  army,  and  Pat  Grant  Commander-in- Chief.  I  do 
not  think  either  of  them  will  approve  of  any  "  soldier  " 
showing  his  prowess  in  fighting  helpless  women  and  chil 
dren,  or  of  one  whose  only  courage  is  exhibited  on  a 
peaceful  parade,  or  when  an  unfortunate  subaltern  is  to 
be  bullied.  The  weather  is  intense  to-day,  and  I  am 
uncomfortable  from  having  caught  a  heavy  cold,  but  it 
will  soon  go  off,  I  dare  say.  I  mentioned  that  four  of  us 
had  been  ordered  to  prepare  a  project  of  attack,  and  that 
we  had  suggested  and  arranged  a  bold  but  perfectly  feasi 
ble  coup-de-main  ;  it  was  approved  and  ordered,  but  in 
consequence  of 's  not  bringing  up  his  troops,  was 


PLAN  ABANDONED.  253 

forced  to  be  abandoned  ;  it  has  again  been  ordered,  coun 
termanded,  and  finally  abandoned.  A  council  of  war  sat 
yesterday,  and  resolved  to  wait  for  reinforcements  !  !  our 
scheme,  hovve-ver,  is  on  record,  and  our  names  attached. 
General  Barnard  told  me  yesterday  he  wished  I  was  a 
captain,  for  he  would  pledge  himself  to  get  me  a  major 
ity  for  what  I  had  already  done  ;  he  thought  he  "  might 
safely  promise  that  at  least."  But,  alas  !  I  am  not  a 
captain. 

June  IStk.  —  I  was  not  able  to  write  yesterday,  for  the 
cold  I  mentioned  as  having  caught  in  common  with  many 
others  in  camp,  turned  into  a  sharp  attack  of  bronchitis, 
or  inflammation  on  the  chest,  and  I  was  really  very  ill 
for  some  hours.  To-day  I  am  thankful  to  say  I  am  much 
better,  though  very  weak  ;  the  inflammation  has  disap 
peared,  and  I  hope  to  be  on  my  horse  again  to-morrow,  in 
spite  of  all  the  doctor  says.  Every  one  is  very  kind,  the 
General  particularly  so  ;  he  insists  on  having  me  in  his 
own  tent,  as  being  so  much  larger  than  my  own,  and  he 
takes  the  most  fatherly  care  of  me.  I  can  see  no  reason 
strong  enough  to  induce  me  to  consent  to  any  ladies  com 
ing  to  camp  ;  it  is  true  that  a  Captain ,  who  with  his 

wife  escaped  from  Delhi  to  Umbala,  has  dragged  the  un 
fortunate  woman  back  here  again,  though  expecting  her 
confinement,  and  with  not  a  shadow  of  comfort  or  shelter, 

except  a  tent.     Even  Mrs. ,*  and  all  the  others  of 

her  sex,  have  been  sent  back  to  Meerut;  they  never 
ought  to  have  been  allowed  to  come  with  us  ;  the  greatest 
consolation  to  us  here  is  the  thought  that  those  dearest  to 
us  are  in  safety,  and  free  from  the  heat  and  dangers  and 
annoyances  of  our  life  here.  Poor  Brown  was  badly 
wounded  last  night  in  the  shoulder.  I  much  fear  that 
*  A  Persian  lady. 


254  GENERAL   BARNARD'S   KINDNESS. 

Dr.  Hay  has  been  murdered  at  Bareilly;   his  name  is 
among  the  missing,  and  scarcely  a  hope  remains. 

June  ISth.  —  I  am  up  and  dressed,  and  crawling  about 
a  little  to-day,  but  much  weaker  than  I  fancied,  and  dizzy 
with  quinine,  and  vexed  at  being  useless  at  such  a  lime. 
The  General  nurses  me  as  if  I  were  his  son.  I  woke  in 
the  night,  and  found  the  kind  old  man  by  my  bedside, 
covering  me  carefully  up  from  the  draught.  The  delay 
and  absolute  want  of  progress  here  is  very  disheartening. 
There  have  been  repeated  attacks  upon  us  ;  all  of  course 
with  the  same  result,  (but,  for  that  matter,  we  are  as 
nearly  besieged  as  the  rebels  themselves  are,)  and  we 
lose  valuable  lives  in  every  encounter,  the  sum  total  of 
which  would  swell  the  catalogue  to  the  dimensions  of  that 
of  a  general  engagement.  Our  plan  of  carrying  the  city 
by  a  coup-de-main  was  frustrated  the  first  night  by  the 
fears  and  absolute  disobedience  of  orders  of  -  — ,  the 
man  who  first  lost  Delhi,  and  has  now  by  folly  prevent 
ed  its  being  recaptured.  The  General  has  twice  since 
wished  and  even  ordered  it,  but  has  always  been  thwart 
ed  by  some  one  or  other  ;  latterly  by  that  old  woman 

,  who  has  come  here  for  nothing,  apparently,  but  as 

an  obstacle  ;  is  also  a  crying  evil  to  us.  The  Gen 
eral  knows  this,  and  wants  to  get  rid  of  him,  but  has  not 
the  nerve  to  supersede  him;  the  whole  state  of  affairs 
here  is  bad  to  a  degree ;  it  is  true  we  always  thrash  the 
fellows  when  we  can  get  at  them,  for  they  are  contempti 
ble  as  an  enemy  in  the  open  field,  being  formidable  in 
numbers  only ;  but  the  immense  resources  placed  in  their 
hands,  by  the  possession  of  our  magazine  and  arsenal,  in 
side  a  walled  and  fortified  town,  make  it  very  difficult  for 
an  army,  unless  provided  with  a  proper  siege  equipment 
and  engineer  park,  to  drive  them  out  in  orthodox  fashion  • 


MURDER  OF  EUROPEANS  IN  CHURCH.     255 

we  have  certainly  plenty  of  guns,  but  we  have  not  men  to 

work  them ;  and  of  the  latter,  thanks  to ,  we  have 

absolutely  nothing,  so  we  do  nothing  but  fire  away  long 
shots  at  the  distance  of  a  mile,  and  repel  the  enemy's 
attacks  ;  instead  of  which  we  ought  to  have  had  our  bat 
teries  close  up  to  the  walls,  and  been  through  them,  days 
ago.  It  was  from  the  conviction  that  we  had  no  regular 
means  of  reducing  the  place  by  the  fire  of  our  artillery, 
and  at  the  distance  we  now  are  from  the  walls,  and  that 
it  was  vain  to  expect  our  commandant  of  artillery  to 
attempt  any  bolder  stroke  than  ordinary  with  the  few 
guns  for  which  he  had  hands,  which  induced  me  to  press 
the  capture  of  the  place  by  assault,  blowing  open  the 
gates  with  powder  bags,  and  rushing  in  with  the  bayonet. 
All  was  arranged,  and  under  Providence  I  venture  to 
believe  success  was  certain,  but  as  I  say,  all  was  frus 
trated  by  terror  and  disobedience.  I  fear  now  nothing 
can  be  done  for  many  days,  and  until  other  troops  arrive ; 
meanwhile  the  evil  is  spreading,  and  disaffection,  to  use  a 
mild  term,  increasing.  I  fear  there  is  no  room  to  doubt 
that  Dr.  Hay  is  dead ;  he  was  actually  hung,  with  other 
civilians,  in  the  market-place  at  Bareilly,  after  going 
through  a  mock  form  of  trial.  All  the  Europeans  at 
Shahjehanpoor  have,  we  hear,  been  murdered  while  they 
were  in  church,  at  the  same  moment,  as  nearly  as  possible, 
that  the  Bareilly  tragedy  was  going  on. 

June  20th'.  —  I  am  much  better  to-day,  but  still  very 
weak,  yet  work  I  must.  There  was  a  sharp  fight  again 
last  evening.  The  enemy  came  down  and  attacked  our 
rear,  and  a  sharp  conflict  ensued  between  some  2,000 
Sepoys  with  six  guns,  and  300  Europeans  with  one 
gun.  The  result  was  as  usual,  but  two  events  occurred 
which  were  important  for  me.  Colonel  Becher  was 


256  COMMAND    OF    GUIDES    RESUMED. 

shot  through  the  right  arm,  and  Captain  Daly  badly  hit 
through  the  shoulder. 

The  consequence  is,  that  I  have  in  effect  to  see  to  the 
whole  work  of  the  Quartermaster-General  of  the  army  ; 
and  in  addition,  the  General  has  begged  me  as  a  personal 
favor  to  take  command  of  the  Guides  until  Daly  has 
recovered.  I  at  first  refused,  but  the  General  was  most 
urgent,  putting  it  on  the  ground  that  the  service  was  at 
stake,  and  none  was  so  fit,  &c.  &c.  I  do  feel  that  we  are 
bound  to  do  our  best  just  now  to  put  things  on  a  proper 
footing,  and  after  consulting  Seaton  and  Norman,  I  ac 
cepted  the  command.  How  —  -  will  gnash  his  teeth  to 
see  me  leading  my  dear  old  Guides  again  in  the  field. 
If  I  can  but  keep  it  till  Delhi  is  taken  I  shall  be  satisfied, 
for  I  think  I  shall  be  able  to  do  something  towards  so 
favorable  a  result.  Shebbeare  was  appointed  second  in 
command  at  my  request.  He  is  an  excellent  soldier. 
General  Barnard  *  has  written  most  strongly  in  my 
favor,  and  has  voluntarily  pledged  himself  to  get  me  my 
majority  as  soon  as  ever  I  am  a  captain.  I  confess  I  feel 
a  little  proud  at  being  earnestly  requested  to  take  again 

*  From  MAJOR-GENERAL  SIR  H.  BARNARD,  Commanding  Field  Force, 
to  the  ADJUTANT-GENERAL  of  the  Army. 

"  CAMP,  DELHI,  June  16$,  1857. 

"  SIR,  —  While  inclosing  for  the  information  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  the  reports  of  the  late  attack  made  by  the  enemy  on  the  force 
under  my  command,  I  would  wish  to  bring  to  his  notice  the  assistance 
I  have  received  in  every  way  from  the  services  of  Lieut.  W.  S.  Hod- 
son,  1st  Bengal  European  Fusileers. 

"  Since  the  arrival  of  his  regiment  at  Umbala,  up  to  the  present 
date,  his  untiring  energy  and  perpetual  anxiety  to  assist  me  in  any 
way  in  which  his  services  might  be  found  useful,  have  distinguished 
him  throughout,  and  are  now  my  reasons  for  bringing  this  officer  thus 
specially  to  the  notice  of  the  Commander-in-Chief. 

(Signed)  "  H.  M.  BARNARD, 

"  Major-General." 


RECOVERY  FROM  ILLNESS.  257 

the  command  of  which  the  machinations  of  my  enemies 
had  deprived  me.  Our  loss  altogether  last  night  was  not 
more  than  50  killed  and  wounded  ;  we  took  two  guns ;  — 
enemy's  loss  ahout  500. 

June  21st.  —  I  have  been  on  horseback  to-day  for  the 
first  time  since  this  attack  of  illness,  so  I  may  be  consid 
ered  finally  recovered,  only  I  still  feel  considerable  weak 
ness.  It  is  very  annoying  not  to  be  quite  up  to  the  mark 
in  these  stirring  times,  especially  when  so  much  work  has 
fallen  to  my  lot.  I  am  fortunate,  however,  in  not  being, 
like  many  of  our  poor  fellows,  laid  up  with  wounds  and 
serious  ailments.  God  has  been  very  good  to  me,  and  in 
nothing  more  so  than  in  preserving  what  is  most  precious 
to  me  from  the  horrible  danger  and  suffering  of  so  many 
of  our  poor  countrywomen  and  children.  How  thankful 
I  am  now  that  Reginald  exchanged  into  an  European 
corps.  I  never  see  any  of  these  unhappy  refugees,  as  we 
call  the  poor  officers  whose  regiments  have  mutinied, 
wandering  about  the  camp,  without  uttering  a  mental 
thanksgiving  that  he  is  safe  from  that  at  least.  I  feel 
more  strongly  every  hour  that  I  should  not  have  been 
justified  in  refusing  the  command  of  the  Guides  under 
present  circumstances.  We  are,  in  point  of  fact,  reduced 
to  merely  holding  our  own  ground  till  we  get  more  men. 
The  drain  on  our  resources  has  been  enormous,  while 
those  of  the  enemy  have  proved  so  much  greater,  both 
in  men,  ammunition,  and  strength  of  position,  than  we 
expected,  and  they  have  fought  us  so  much  more  perse- 
veringly  than  was  deemed  possible,  that  it  has  become 
imperatively  necessary  to  be  stronger  before  striking  the 
Snal  blow.  The  plan  for  carrying  the  city  *  by  assault, 

*  Extract  of  a  Private  Letter  from  CAMP  to  LORD  W.  HAY. 
"  Hodson  volunteered  to  lead  the  assault  on  the  night  of  the  llth, 


258  RISING  IN  ROHILCUND. 

which  I  feel  convinced  would  then  have  been  successful, 
has  now  become  impracticable.  The  enemy  are  stronger, 
we  are  weaker  ;  besides  that,  they  would  be  prepared  for 
any  coup-de-main  now.  General  Johnstone  is  to  be  here 
by  the  23d,  we  hope  with  considerable  reinforcements, 
and  more  will  follow.  I  trust  that  a  few  days  then  will 
end  this  business,  as  far  as  Delhi  is  concerned,  and  so 
enable  a  part,  at  least,  of  the  force  to  move  on  towards 
Allygurh,  and  reopen  the  roads  and  daks,  and  restore 
order  for  the  time  ;  but  when  the  end  will  be,  who  can 
say  ? 

The  rising  in  Rohilcund  will,  I  fear,  assume  formidable 
proportions  and  give  us  much  trouble,  as  I  think  we 
shall  scarcely  be  able  to  do  anything  there  before  the 
cold  weather.  There  is,  in  fact,  every  prospect  of  a  long 
and  tedious  campaign.  May  God's  wisdom  direct  and 
His  mercy  defend  us  ! 

June  22e£.  —  The  hottest  day  we  have  had  yet ;  but 
while  I  know  that  the  hill  stations  are  quiet,  I  can  bear 
anything  with  equanimity.  The  rumors  down  here,  of 
all  that  has  been  doing  and  feared  at  Simla,  have  been 
enough  to  unnerve  any  one  who  does  not  know  the  truth. 
Lord  W.  Hay's  judgment  and  energy  deserve  every 
praise.  Personally,  I  cannot  but  feel  gratified  at  the 
marked  pleasure  all  hands,  high  and  low,  have  shown  at 
my  renewed  command  of  the  Guides.  All  congratulate 

but  the  plan  unfortunately  was  not  adopted;  a  small  building  in  front 
of  the  gate,  which  he  had  fixed  on  as  the  rendezvous,  is  called  '  Hod- 
son's  Mosque.'  It  would  probably  have  been  his  tomb,  for  few  of  the 
devoted  band  would  have  escaped,  though  the  city  would  have  been 
ours." 

A  private  letter  from  Camp  of  the  10th  June,  says,  "  Hodson,  of  the 
1st  Fusileers,  and  old  Showers  are  admitted  to  be  the  best  officers  in 
the  field." 


ENGLISH   SOLDIERS'  PLUCK.  259 

me  as  if  they  were  personally  interested ;  and  as  to  the 
men  themselves,  "their  vociferous,  and  I  really  believe 
honest,  delight  is  quite  overpowering.  The  wounded 
generally  are  doing  well,  poor  fellows,  considering  the 
heat,  dirt,  and  want  of  any  bed  but  the  dry  ground. 
Their  pluck  is  wonderful,  and  it  is  not  in  the  field  alone 
that  you  see  what  an  English  soldier  is  made  of.  One 
poor  fellow  who  was  smoking  his  pipe  and  laughing  with 
the  comrade  by  his  side,  was  asked,  what  was  the  matter 
with  him,  and  he  answered  in  a  lively  voice,  "  Oh,  not 
much,  sir,  only  a  little  knock  on  the  back ;  I  shall  be  up 
and  at  the  rascals  again  in  a  day  or  two."  He  had  been 
shot  in  the  spine,  and  all  his  lower  limbs  were  paralyzed. 
He  died  next  day.  Colonel  Welchman  *  is  about  again  ; 
too  soon,  I  fear,  but  there  is  no  keeping  the  brave  old 
man  quiet.  Poor  Peter  Brown  *  is  very  badly  wounded, 
but  he  is  cheerful,  and  bears  up  bravely.  Jacob  *  has 
"  come  out "  wonderfully.  He  is  cool,  active,  and  bold, 
keeps  his  wits  about  him  under  fire,  and  does  altogether 
well.  We  are  fortunate  in  having  him  with  the  force. 
Good  field-officers  are  very  scarce  indeed  ;  I  do  not  won 
der  at  people  at  a  distance  bewailing  the  delay  in  the 
taking  of  Delhi.  No  one  not  on  the  spot  can  appreciate 
the  difficulties  in  the  way,  or  the  painful  truth  that  those 
difficulties  increase  upon  us.  The  very  large  reinforce 
ments  which  the  enemy  are  receiving,  (the  whole  Bareilly 
and  Rohilcund  force,  some  5,000  men,  are  on  their  way 
to  join,)  more  than  counterbalance  the  aid  which  can 
reach  us,  so  that  when  the  last  party  arrives  the  odds 
will  still  be  immensely  against  us.  It  would  not  so  much 
signify  if  we  could  but  get  them  into  the  open  field,  but 
for  every  gun  we  can  bring  to  bear  upon  them  they  can 
*  1st  European  Bengal  Fusileers. 


260          CONFIDENT  OF  SUCCESS. 

bring  four  heavier  ones  against  us.  We  drive  them  be 
fore  us  like  chaff  in  the  field,  but  they  can  and  do  attack 
us  in  two  or  three  quarters  at  once,  and  our  unfortunate 
soldiers  are  worked  off  their  legs.  I  do  not  say  this  to 
make  matters  look  gloomy,  for  I  am  as  confident  as  ever 
of  the  result ;  but  we  may  be  a  long  while  yet,  and  a 
weary  while  too,  before  that  result  is  arrived  at.  Baird 
Smith  will  be  here  as  Chief  Engineer  in  a  day  or  two, 
and  if  we  can  manage  to  get  some  batteries  made  sud 
denly,  we  may  carry  the  city  shortly  ;  but  there  are  great 
obstacles.  I  regret  more  than  ever  that  the  assault  was 
not  made  on  the  night  of  the  llth,  when  they  were  un 
prepared  for  us,  and  so  much  fewer  in  numbers.  Now 
they  increase  daily,  and  the  city  is  so  overflowing,  that 
the  rascals  are  encamped  outsicte  the  gates  under  cover 
of  their  formidable  batteries,  and  in  the  glacis  ;  so  much 
for  giving  our  arsenal  into  native  keeping.  All  is  well  at 
Agra  ;  beyond  that,  we  know  nothing. 

June  23d.  —  The  rebels  came  out  again  this  morning 
in  considerable  force,  with  the  avowed  intention  of  attack 
ing  us  on  all  sides.  They  have  been  frustrated,  however, 
save  on  one  point,  and  firing  is  still  going  on.  They  do 
little  more  than  annoy  us,  and  the  only  great  evil  they 
cause,  is  the  keeping  our  men  out  for  hours  in  this  scorch 
ing  heat.  The  worst  of  all  is,  that  we  can  do  but  little 
harm  to  them,  as  they  are  well  under  cover.  The  rascals 
most  forward  to-day  are  the  Jullundur  troops,  who  ought 
never  to  have  been  allowed  to  join  the  king  of  the  rebels 
here  at  Delhi  ;  why  they  were  not  pursued  and  cut  up,  is 
at  present  a  mystery,  but  indignation  is  strong  in  camp 
against  those  who  suffered  their  escape. 

General  Johnstone  has  met  with  a  serious  accident  at 
Paneeput,  I  hear  ;  most  unfortunate  indeed. 


SUBJECT   FOR   A   SKETCH.  261 

June  23d.  —  An  amusing  story  is  told  a  propos  of  the 
fight  this  morning.  A  rascally  Pandy,  thinking  all  was 
over,  put  his  head  out  of  the  window  of  one  of  the  houses, 
in  the  shade  of  which  a  few  Europeans  and  Goorkhas 
were  resting.  One  of  the  latter  jumped  up,  laid  hold  of 
the  rebel  by  his  hair,  and  with  one  chop  of  his  "  kookrie  " 
took  off  his  head.  Atkinson  should  make  a  sketch  of 
this  for  the  Illustrated  News.  Sarel,  of  the  9th  Lancers, 
came  in  this  morning,  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of 
time,  from  his  shooting  expedition  in  the  interior,  ten 
days'  journey  beyond  Simla.  He  reports  all  quiet  there, 
thank  God  !  I  am  sadly  weak,  I  find,  and  have  been 
obliged  to  change  my  work  from  the  saddle  to  the  pen 
more  than  once  to-day.  This  want  of  physical  strength 
depresses  me.  It  is  a  burden  to  me  to  stand  or  walk,  and 
the  excessive  heat  makes  it  difficult  for  me  to  recover 
from  that  sharp  attack  of  illness.  The  doctors  urge  me 
to  go  away  for  a  little  to  get  strength,  —  as  if  I  could 
leave  just  now,  or  as  if  I  would  if  I  could. 

June  24th.  —  I  have  been  in  the  saddle  nearly  all  day, 
though  obliged  occasionally  to  rest  a  bit  when  I  could 
find  shelter.  One  of  my  halts  was  by  the  side  of  Alfred 
Light,  who  has  behaved  magnificently  under  trial  and 
difficulty.  It  does  me  good  to  see  the  "  Light  of  the  ball 
room"  working  away  at  his  guns,  begrimed  with  dust  and 
heat,  ever  cheery  and  cool,  though  dead  beat  from  fatigue 
and  exposure.  He  is  one  of  a  thousand,  and  a  host  in 
himself. 

The  enemy  turned  us  out  very  early,  and  the  firing 
continued  without  intermission  till  dark,  and  such  a  day  ; 
liquid  fire  was  no  name  for  the  fervent  heat.  Colonel 
Welchman  got  an  ugly  wound  in  the  arm,  and  Dennis 
was  knocked  down  by  the  sun,  and  numbers  of  the  men  ; 


262  NEVILLE   CHAMBERLAIN. 

but  nothing  less  than  a  knock-down  blow  from  sun,  sword, 
or  bullet,  stops  a  British  soldier.  How  well  they  fought 
to-day  ;  and  to  do  them  justice,  so  did  my  old  Guides  and 
my  new  Sikhs,  while  the  little  Goorkhas  vied  with  any  in 
endurance  and  courage  ;  but  the  mismanagement  of  mat 
ters  is  perfectly  sickening.  Nothing  the  rebels  can  do 
will  equal  the  evils  arising  from  incapacity  and  inde 
cision. 

Fortunately,  Neville  Chamberlain  has  arrived,  and  he 
ought  to  be  worth  a  thousand  men  to  us.  I  can  but  re 
member  when  Lord  Dalhousie  gave  me  the  command 
of  the  Guides,  how  anxious  he  was  for  me  to  exchange 
it  with  him  for  the  Military  Secretaryship  at  Lahore. 
Spite  of  all,  I  can  never  regret  not  having  yielded,  for  I 
feel  that  these  two  years  of  persecution  and  suffering 
have  been  of  service  to  me.  I  can  truly  say,  it  is  good 
for  me  to  have  been  afflicted,  and  I  am  conscious  of  be 
ing  more  fitted  either  for  the  Victoria  Cross  or  the  sol 
dier's  grave  !  I  do  not  think  either  that  Chamberlain 
bears  me  any  ill-will,  rather  the  contrary  ;  but  did  he  do 
so,  I  would  lose  anything  personally,  for  the  sake  of  hav 
ing  his  influence  predominant  at  head-quarters.  I  am 
neither  downhearted  nor  desponding  when  I  say  that 
with  our  present  chiefs  I  see  no  chance  of  taking  Delhi. 
It  might  have  been  done  many  days  ago,  (certes,  it  was 
not  for  want  of  a  distinct  plan  being  before  them  or  a 
willing  leader,)  but  they  have  not  the  nerve  nor  the  heart 
for  a  bold  stroke  requiring  the  smallest  assumption  of  re 
sponsibility.  Horses  are  very  scarce  here,  and  I  have  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  getting  my  own  men  mounted.  Mr. 
Montgomery  is  helping  me  wonderfully  with  men,  and  I 
receive  offers  for  service  daily,  but  in  these  mutinous 
times  it  is  necessary  to  be  cautious.  A  telegraph  from 


LOSS  OF   OFFICERS   AND  MEN.  263 

Agra  says,  "  Heavy  firing  at  Cawnpore :  result  not 
known." 

June  2oth.  —  There  is  little  doing  to-day,  save  a  vain 
fire  of  long  shots,  and  I  fear  nothing  effective  will  be 
done  till  the  8th  and  61st  arrive.  I  hope  much  from 
Chamberlain.  The  General,  though  one  of  the  kindest 
and  best  of  men,  has  neither  health  nor  nerve  enough  for 
so  responsible,  and  really  very  difficult,  a  position  as  that 
he  is  now  in.  Our  loss  in  officers  and  men  bears  a  sadly 
large  proportion  to  our  successes.  In  the  1st  Fusileers  it 
is,  too,  melancholy :  Colonel  Welchman  with  a  very  bad 
hit  in  the  arm,  in  addition  to  his  sickness  when  he  came 
to  Delhi  from  Dugshai ;  Greville  down  with  fever ;  Wri- 
ford  with  dysentery ;  Dennis  with  sunstroke ;  Brown 
with  wounds.  Jacob  and  the  "  boys  "  have  all  the  work 
to  themselves,  and  well  indeed  do  the  boys  behave,  with 
a  courage  and  coolness  that  would  not  disgrace  veterans. 
Little  Tommy  Butler,  Owen,  Warner,  all  behave  like 
heroes,  albeit  with  sadly  diminishing  numbers  to  lead.  I 
am  vexed  at  the  mistakes  or  falsehoods  of  the  newspaper 
reports.  So  far  from  having  been  wounded  in  the  fight 
of  the  19th,  I  was  not  even  present,  but  ill  in  bed.  When 
Colonel  Becher  came  into  camp  wounded,  I  got  up  and 
struggled  into  the  saddle,  and  tried  to  get  far  enough  to 
send  up  fresh  troops ;  but  I  had  not  got  ten  yards  before 
I  fell  from  my  horse,  and  was  all  but  carried  back  to  my 
tent  again. 

I  am  more  and  more  convinced  that  I  was  right  not  to 
persist  in  my  refusal  to  take  again  the  command  of  the 
Guides.  It  was  so  pressed  on  me,  and  surely  the  best 
eradication  of  the  reproach  of  removal  was  the  being 
asked  to  reassume  it  in  times  of  difficulty  and  danger 
like  these. 


264  REPORT   OF  A  SPY. 

That  this  is  the  general  view  of  the  case  is  shown  by 
the  warm^  and  hearty  congratulations  I  meet  with  on  all 
sides.  There  is  but  one  rule  of  action  for  a  soldier  in 
the  field,  as  for  a  man  at  all  limes :  to  do  that  which  is 
best  for  the  public  good  ;  to  make  that  your  sole  aim, 
resting  assured  that  the  result  will  in  the  end  be  best 
for  individual  interest  also.  I  am  quite  indifferent  not  to 
see  my  name  appear  in  newspaper  paragraphs  and  de 
spatches  ;  only  content  if  I  can  perform  my  duty  truly 
and  honestly,  and  too  thankful  to  the  Almighty  if  I  am 
daily  spared  for  future  labors  or  future  repose. 

The  story  prevalent  in  the  hills,  that  7,000  of  the 
enemy  are  pitched  in  the  open  plain,  is  a  mere  magnifi 
cation  of  the  simple  fact,  that  a  surplus  portion  of  the 
rebels  have  encamped  under  cover  of  their  guns,  and 
close  up  under  the  wall  of  the  city,  and  remain  there  all 
night,  but  this  is  on  the  side  opposite  us.  We  are  not 
very  well  off,  quant  a  la  cuisine.  I  never  had  so  much 
trouble  in  getting  anything  fit  to  eat,  except  when  I  dine 
with  the  General.  Colonel  Seaton  *  lives  in  my  tent, 
and  is  a  great  companion  ;  his  joyous  disposition  is  a  per 
petual  rebuke  to  the  croakers.  Don't  believe  what  is 
said  about  our  batteries  doing  no  harm.  The  same  was 
said  of  Muttra,  yet,  when  we  entered,  scarcely  a  square 
yard  was  unploughed  by  our  shot.  One  of  the  native 
officers  of  the  Guides  (you  know  how  ingenious  they  are 
at  disguise)  got  into  the  city  as  a  spy,  and  remained 
there  four  days.  He  reports  great  dissension  and  quar 
relling  among  themselves.  Robbery  and  fighting  and 
everything  that  is  bad,  between  the  newly  arrived  rebels 
and  the  city  people.  This  account  my  own  native  news 
letters  confirm.  The  9th  Native  Infantry  had  already 
*  Sir  Thomas  Seaton,  K.  C.  B. 


ANOTHER  ATTACK.  2G5 

decamped,  and  thousands  would  follow  if  they  dared. 
This  last,  I  doubt ;  the  spirit  of  bravado,  if  not  of  bra 
very,  is  as  yet  too  strong.  The  rascals  in  the  last  en 
gagement  came  out  in  their  red  coats  and  medals  ! 

June  2Qth.  —  I  have  been  so  hard  at  work  the  whole 
day,  that  I  can  only  find  time  to  say  the  enemy  has  made 
no  sortie  to-day,  but  Pandy  amuses  himself  with  firing 
long  shots  incessantly  ;  all  well,  however. 

27th.  —  We  were  turned  out  before  I  had  hardly 
turned  in,  by  another  attack  of  the  rebels.  This  time  a 
faint  one,  which  has  been  already  repulsed  with  trifling 
loss  on  our  side.  For  a  short  time,  however,  the  can 
nonade  was  very  heavy,  and  I  have  seldom  been  under  a 
hotter  fire  than  for  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour  at  our 
most  advanced  battery,  covered  every  moment  with  show 
ers,  or  rather  clouds,  of  dust,  stones,  and  splinters ;  but 
we  kept  close,  and  no  one  was  hurt.  There  has  been  an 

outcry  throughout  camp  at 's  having  fled  from  Bhag- 

put,  the  bridge  which  caused  me  so  much  hard  riding 
and  hard  work  to  get,  some  time  ago.  A  report  came 
that  a  portion  of  the  mutineers  were  moving  in  that  direc 
tion,  and  he  fairly  bolted,  leaving  boats,  bridge,  and  all ! 
Yet  he  had  with  him  all  the  Rajah  of  Jheend's  men, 
horse,  foot,  and  guns,  and  never  even  saw  the  twinkle  of 
a  musket.  In  fact,  it  is  not  at  all  sure  that  an  enemy 
was  ever  near  him.  By  this  conduct  he  has  not  only  cut 
us  off  from  all  communication  with  Meerut,  but  actually 
left  the  boats  to  be  used  or  destroyed  by  the  enemy. 
Our  reinforcements  are  in  sight,  at  least  the  camp  of  the 
8th,  and  I  do  trust  no  further  delay  will  take  place  in  our 
getting  possession  of  Delhi.  The  insurgents  are  dis 
heartened,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  moment  we 
get  possession  of  a  single  gate  the  greater  portion  of  them 

12 


266  EIDE  TO  BHAGPUT. 

will  run  out  through  the  opposite  ones.  The  only  for 
midable  part  of  the  enemy  is  their  artillery,  which  is 
amazingly  well-served,  and  in  prodigious  abundance,  as 
my  experience  this  morning  abundantly  proved.  Har 
ris,  of  the  2d  European  Bengal  Fusileers,  was  wounded 
this  morning,  but  not  dangerously.  All  quiet  at  Agra, 
we  believe,  but  no  particulars  known. 

June  2Sth.  —  I  have  just  got  orders  to  proceed  to 
Bhagput,  some  twenty-five  miles  off,  on  the  Jumna,  and 
see  what  the  real  state  of  affairs  is,  and  try  to  save  the 
boats,  so  I  have  only  time  to  say  I  am  much  better  and 
stronger,  which  is  a  great  comfort,  for  I  could  not  have 
ridden  the  distance,  a  few  days  ago.  The  rains  have  be 
gun,  and  the  air  is  colder  and  more  refreshing,  though 
not  exactly  what  one  could  wish.  Certainly  the  hot  sea 
son  in  India  is  not  the  pleasantest  time  in  the  year  for 
campaigning,  and  this  the  rascally  mutineers  were  fully 
aware  of  before  they  began.  Colonel  Greathed  and  the 
8th  came  in  this  morning,  and  the  61st  will  be  here  to 
morrow. 

June  29th.  —  I  was  thirteen  hours  and  a  half  in  the 
saddle  without  intermission  yesterday,  and  got  back  to 
camp  after  midnight,  very  tired,  but  none  the  worse; 
fortunately,  I  had  a  cloudy  day  and  a  tolerably  cool 
breeze  for  my  work.  I  recovered  the  boats  and  found 

all  quiet,  in  spite  of 's  disgraceful  flight.  He  had 

not  even  the  sense  or  courage  to  draw  the  boats  over  to 
our  side  of  the  river,  consequently,  three  were  burnt  and 
the  whole  place  plundered.  So  much  for  acting  on 
native  reports,  without  at  least  attempting  to  ascertain 
their  accuracy.  The  consequences  are  bad  and  discredit 
able  to  a  degree. 

I  doubt  whether  General  Barnard  used  the  exact  ex- 


REPORTS   UNRELIABLE.  2G7 

pression  reported  regarding  Tombs,  but  he  did  say,  and 
well  he  might,  that  he  was  as  gallant  and  good  a  soldier 
as  any  in  camp,  and  so  indeed  he  is. 

The  fight  of  the  23d  was  a  much  more  severe  one  than 
was  reported.  It  was  not  over  till  dark,  and  our  loss 
was  the  heaviest  we  have  yet  had  to  deplore,  since  we 
got  here  on  the  8th. 

Reports  must  not  be  depended  on.  The  fact  was, 
Major  Olpherts  arrived  early  in  the  morning.  I  myself 
galloped  out  to  meet  him,  and  as  he  passed,  when  the 
fight  had  just  commenced,  he  fired  once  at  the  enemy,  and 
then  came  into  camp  to  rest  his  men  after  their  long 
march.  We  were  out  the  whole  day  until  dark,  and  half 
dead  with  fatigue.  Colonel  Welchman  suffers  severely 
from  his  wound,  but  bears  it  bravely,  as  does  Peter 
Brown. 

Everything  quiet  to-day,  no  firing  on  either  side.  I 
do  hope  this  part  of  the  business  will  soon  be  over,  and 
that  they  will  only  wait  for  the  61st  and  Coke's  regiment, 
both  of  which  will  be  here  to-morrow  or  next  day.  Col 
onel  Scaton  himself  recommended  the  disarming  of  his 
old  Corps,  the  35th  Native  Infantry.  To-day  we  hear  it 
has  been  done.  All  was  safe  at  Cawnpore  and  Lucknow 
up  to  our  last  news. 

July  2d.  —  I  have  been  quite  unable  to  write  since  the 
29th,  on  the  night  of  which  I  was  ordered  off  again  to 
Bhagput,  to  try  to  bring  the  boats  down  to  camp,  either 
to  make  a  bridge  here  or  a  "  stop  "  for  the  enemy.  The 
order  was  given  with  the  complimentary  addenda  from 
the  General,  "because  I  can  trust  your  judgment  quite  as 
much  as  your  energy."  I  expected  to  be  back  in  good 
time  on  the  30th,  but  the  winds  and  waves  were  against 
me,  and  I  could  not  get  my  fleet  of  boats  down  the  river. 


2G8  PROGRESS    OF   REGIMENT. 


Shebbeare  was  with  me,  and  we  worked  like  a  couple 
of  "  navvies,"  passing  the  two  days  and  one  night  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  without  shelter,  and  almost  without 
food,  for  we  had  nothing  but  a  couple  of  "  chupatties," 
each,  and  a  small  tin  of  soup  and  a  little  tea,  which  I 
fortunately  took  with  me.  Poor  Shebbeare  would  soon 
lose  the  graceful  rotund  of  his  figure  if  he  were  long  on 
such  short  commons,  but  I  do  not  think  any  amount  of 
starvation  could  reduce  my  horizontal  dimensions. 

All's  well  that  ends  well,  however,  and  I  succeeded  in 
getting  every  boat  safe  into  camp  last  night.  I  missed 
the  skirmish  of  the  30th  by  being  at  Bhagput.  The  61st 
have  arrived,  rich  in  twenty  officers.  We  are  getting 
more  supplies  now,  and  I  have  set  myself  up  with  plates 
and  dishes  for  the  small  charge  of  one  rupee.  Colonel 
Seaton's  traps  and  servants  will  be  here  to-day,  and  then 
we  shall  be  comfortable,  for  hitherto  a  very  limited  allow 
ance  for  one  has  been  but  small  accommodation  for  two. 
For  my  new  regiment  two  complete  troops  are  on  their 
way  from  Lahore  and  will  be  here  on  the  8th,  and  an 
other  troop  from  Jugraon  should  be  here  in  a  week.  Two 
more  troops  are  preparing  at  Lahore. 

Montgomery  takes  the  most  kind  interest  in  my  new 
Corps,  and  I  am  rejoiced  and  comforted  to  find  that  he 
cordially  approves  of  my  having  accepted  the  Guides.  I 
have  as  much  confidence  in  his  judgment  as  in  his  kind 
ness.  has  been  shelved,  and  allowed  to  get  "  sick  " 

to  save  him  from  supersession.  I  do  not  like  euphuisms. 
In  these  days  men  and  things  should  be  called  by  their 
right  names,  that  we  might  know  how  far  either  should  be 
trusted. 

Sir  E.  Campbell  arrived  here  to-day  by  mail-cart,  and 
will  be  a  valuable  addition  to  the  60th,  or  he  will  belie 


LOSS   AMONG   GUIDES.  2G9 


his  descent  from  the  Bourbons  and  Fitzgeralds.  He  is  a 
man  you  can  always  trust,  which  is  saying  something  in 
these  hard  times. 

July  3d.  —  Whatever  I  may  have  sacrificed  of  pride 
and  personal  feeling  to  a  sense  of  duty,  I  shall  be  fully 
rewarded  by  entering  Delhi  at  the  head  of  the  Guides. 
Here  at  least  there  is  but  ane  opinion  on  the  subject. 
My  poor  gallant  Guides  !  they  have  suffered  severely  for 
their  fidelity  to  our  cause,  above  a  fourth  of  the  whole 
having  been  killed  or  wounded,  including  some  of  our 
best  men.  Koor  Singh,  the  little  Goorkha  Subadar  who 
won  the  Order  of  Merit  in  that  stiff  affair  at  Boree  in 
'53,  is  gone,  and  others  whom  we  could  ill  afford  to  lose, 
now  that  so  much  depends  on  the  fidelity  of  the  native 
officers,  —  the  Guides  more  than  all.  Surely,  then,  I  am 
right,  knowing  and  feeling  that  my  influence  with  them  is 
so  great,  to  sink  every  personal  consideration  before  the 
one  great  end  of  public  safety,  which  implies  that  of  our 
selves  and  those  dear  to  us.  If  we  fail  here  at  Delhi, 
not  a  soul  in  the  Punjaub  or  Upper  Provinces  would  be 
safe  for  a  day. 

July  5th.  —  It  was  impossible  for  me  to  write  by  yes 
terday's  dak,  for  the  rebels  got  into  our  rear  during  the 
night  of  the  3d,  and  attacked  Alipoor,  the  first  stage  from 
hence  on  the  Kurnal  road.  I  was  out  reconnoitring,  and 
saw  them  moving  out  some  five  miles  on  our  right.  I 
reported  their  position  at  7  P.  M.  on  the  3d,  but  not  until 
3  A.  M.  of  the  4th  were  any  measures  taken,  by  which 
time,  of  course,  they  had  attained  their  end,  and  were 
in  full  march  back  to  Delhi.  At  daybreak  yesterday  I 
pointed  out  their  exact  whereabouts  to  Coke,  (who  com 
manded  the  party  sent  to  attack  them,)  and  I  did  not  get 
back  to  camp  till  8  P.  M.  ;  a  hard  day's  work,  especially 


270  CLOSE    WORK. 

as  I  had  no  breakfast,  nor  indeed  food  of  any  kind,  and 
hunger  makes  the  heat  tell. 

We  beat  5,000  of  the  rebels  in  the  morning,  and  were 
twice  attacked  b^  upwards  of  3,000  in  the  course  of  the 
day.  I  took  the  Guides  in  pursuit  (as  soon  as  our  guns 
had  driven  the  enemy  from  their  position),  and  drove 
them  into  a  village.  Unfortunately  we  did  not  do  half  as 
well  as  we  ought,  for  though  Coke  is  a  good  commandant 
of  a  regiment,  and  a  good  man  for  the  frontiers,  he  is  no 
general,  and  did  not  manage  well,  or  we  should  have  cut 
up  numbers  of  the  enemy  and  taken  their  guns. 

Our  loss  was  about  thirty  or  forty  European?,  and  three 
of  my  native  officers  temporarily  disabled.  Both  men 
and  horses  were  terribly  knocked  up  towards  the  end  of 
the  day,  and  could  hardly  crawl  back  to  camp,  and  no 
wonder.  I  was  mercifully  preserved,  though  I  am  sorry 
to  say  my  gallant  "  Feroza "  was  badly  wounded  twice 
with  sabre  cuts,  and  part  of  his  bridle  cut  through,  and 
a  piece  of  my  glove  shaved  off,  so  it  was  rather  close 
work.  My  men,  who  were  most  engaged  of  all,  escaped 
with  the  loss  of  one  killed  and  six  wounded,  and  six 
horses  put  hors  de  combat.  I  am  dissatisfied  with  the 
day's  work,  inasmuch  as  more  might  have  been  done,  and 
what  was  done  is  only  satisfactory  as  a  proof  of  the  ease 
with  which  Anglo-Saxons  can  thrash  Asiatics  at  any  odds. 
Yesterday  they  were  at  least  from  ten  to  fifteen  to  one 
against  us.  To-day  General  Barnard  has  been  attacked 
with  cholera,  I  grieve  to  say  ;  and  Colonel  Welchman  is 
very  ill  indeed.  The  doctors  dread  erysipelas,  which  at 
his  age  would  be  serious  ;  beyond  this,  the  wounded  are 
generally  doing  well. 

July  Qth.  —  Poor  General  Barnard  died  last  night,  and 
was  buried  this  morning.  He  sank  rapidly,  for  anxiety, 


WANT   OF  DECISION.  271 

worry,  over-exertion,  and  heat  had  prepared  his  system 
and  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  bear  up  against  the  viru 
lence  of  cholera.  Personally,  I  am  much  grieved,  for  no 
kinder  or  more  considerate  or  more  gentlemanly  man 
ever  lived.  I  am  so  sorry  for  his  son,  a  fine  brave  fellow, 
whose  attention  to  his  father  won  the  love  of  us  all.  It 
was  quite  beautiful  to  see  them  together. 

I  have  just  seen  a  copy  of  a  very  strong  minute  anent 
the  Bhagput  affair,  which  shows  the  General  was  not  dis 
posed  to  pass  it  over  lightly.  The  civil  authorities,  how 
ever,  are  determined  to  support  ,  though  in  camp 

there  is  but  one  opinion  of  his  conduct.  The  present 
state  of  things  is  terrible,  enough  to  fret  one  to  death,  — 
no  head,  no  brains,  no  decision.  Neville  Chamberlain, 
though  of  decided  excellence  as  a  man  of  action,  is,  I 
begin  to  fear,  but  a  poor  man  of  business.  Prompt  decis 
ion  in  council  is  what  we  want ;  there  is  no  lack  of 
vigorous  action.  There  are  plenty  to  obey  ;  but  we  want 
some  one  to  command.  We  have  seen  nothing  of  the 
enemy  outside  the  walls  since  the  4th.  I  am  worked  off 
my  legs  all  the  same,  and  the  day  is  not  half  long  enougli 
for  what  I  have  to  do.  To  make  matters  worse,  too,  poor 
Macdowell  is  down  with  fever  :  a  sad  loss  just  now  to 
"  Ilodson's  Horse,"  as  they  call  my  growing  corps.  I 
am  sadly  off  for  clothqs,  as  we  of  course  are  only  too 
glad  to  help  the  poor  refugees  who  come  into  camp  with 
none. 

July  8th.  —  We  left  camp  at  2  A.  M.  with  a  considera 
ble  force,  and  marched  to  a  bridge  some  ten  miles  off, 
which  we  blew  up  to  prevent  the  enemy  annoying  us, 
and  then  marched  back  again.  I  tried  hard  to  induce 
Chamberlain,  who  commanded,  to  march  back  by  another 
road,  which  I  had  reconnoitred,  and  which  would  have 


272  RAINS. 

brought  us  close  along  the  rear  and  flank  of  the  enemy, 
but  he  would  not  do  so,  though  admitting  that  I  was  right. 
We  have  had  eleven  hours  in  the  saddle  and  in  the  sun, 
merely  for  this  trifling  gain.  My  face  is  like  "  General 
Gascoigne's,"  and  my  hands  perfectly  skinless.  I  must 
get  some  dogskin  gloves,  for  it  is  as  much  as  I  can  do 
to  hold  a  sword,  much  less  a  pen.  There  has  been  no 
fighting  since  the  4th,  and  my  news-writers  from  the 
city  speak  of  much  disheartenment,  and  symptoms  of  a 
break-up  ;  but  I  doubt  this  latter  being  more  than  a 
report,  while  the  enemy  are  so  well  provided  both  with 
"  materiel "  and  "  personnel."" 

I  have  just  returned  from  a  long  chase  after  a  party 
of  the  enemy's  horse,  safe  and  unhurt,  but  drenched  to 
the  skin  by  a  cataract  of  rain.  There  has  been  some 
hard  fighting  to-day.  The  8th  Irregulars  from  Bareilly 
came  into  our  camp,  thanks  to  the  defection  of  a  party 
of  the  9th  Irregular  Cavalry,  who  were  on  picket  duty. 
The  rascals  consequently  were  enabled  to  get  into  our 
very  lines,  and  cut  down  one  officer  at  his  guns.  There 
was  a  tremendous  row  and  confusion  for  a  short  time,  but 
we  soon  put  it  to  rights.  I  had  warned  the  authorities 
repeatedly,  that  the  Irregulars  were  not  to  be  trusted,  but 
they  were  too  fainthearted  or  "  merciful "  (Heaven  for 
give  me  for  using  such  a  word  about  such  villains)  to  dis 
arm  them,  and  both  the  regiments,  about  which  I  reported, 
have  since  gone  wrong. 

July  Wth.  —  We  are  nearly  flooded  out  of  camp  by 
the  rain,  and  everything  is  wet  and  wretched  but  our 
selves.  I  have  no  respite  from  work,  however,  and  have- 
only  time  to  say  that  the  ladies  in  the  hills  could  not  em 
ploy  themselves  better  or  in  a  greater  work  of  charity 
than  in  making  flannel  shirts  for  the  soldiers,  for  our 


SAD   JOKE.  273 

stores  are  either  in  the  enemy's  hands  or  not  come-at- 
able.  The  soldiers  bear  up  like  men,  but  the  constant 
state  of  wet  is  no  small  addition  to  what  they  have  to 
endure  from  heat,  hard  work,  and  hard  fighting.  I 
know  by  experience  what  a  comfort  a  dry  flannel  shirt 
is. 

There  is  a  sad  joke  against  me  in  camp,  and  I  cannot 
help  joining  in  the  laugh  against  myself,  though  enraged 
at  having  been  the  victim  of  such  a  sell.  Fancy  my 
riding  up  to  a  party  of  horse,  and  asking  who  they  were, 
being  told  they  were  our  own  men,  9th  Irregulars,  and 
then  marching  parallel  to  them  for  three  miles,  and  not 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  apart,  when,  had  I  known  who 
they  were,  I  could  have  destroyed  every  man.*  Mr. 
Saunders  arrived  in  camp  to-day,  looking  as  fat  and  well 
as  possible,  though  he  and  his  pretty  wife  had  a  narrow 
escape  and  hard  day's  riding  from  Moradabad. 

July  \\ih.  —  Pen-work  again  all  day,  as  the  enemy 
seem  to  prefer  keeping  under  cover  from  the  rain. 

Mr.  's  story  is  so  far  true,  that  I  did  earnestly 

urge  the  construction  of  a  bridge  with  the  boats  I  brought 
down  from  Bhagput,  but  without  success.  There  are 
difficulties,  I  admit,  and  great  ones,  but  I  humbly  think 
they  might  be  overcome  now,  as  they  certainly  could 
three  weeks  ago,  when  our  plan  of  assault  was  suggested, 
and  adopted  by  General  Barnard.  There  is  a  sad  outcry 
in  camp  against  Chamberlain  for  having  used  his  influ 
ence  to  prevent  the  disarming  of  what  remains  of  the 
9th  Irregulars.  Numbers  of  them  had  deserted,  and  one 
native  officer,  and  those  who  were  on  picket  duty,  actually 

*  "  They  went  into  the  city,  and  reported  that  they  had  defeated 
the  great  Lall  Bahadoor  (Red  Warrior)  and  a  large  party  of  his  horse, 
and  were  rewarded  accordingly."  — Letter  from  Camp.  [Eo.] 
12* 


274  HODSON'S   HORSE. 

admitted  a  party  of  the  enemy  into  our  camp  ;  and  yet, 
forsooth,  because  they  were  Chamberlain's  regiment  once 
on  a  time,  the  order  to  disarm  them,  which  the  General 
had  actually  issued,  was  cancelled.  I  confess  I  expected 
better  things  than  this  weakness,  when  our  very  lives  de 
pend  on  firmness  and  decision.  Light  has  just  come  in 
off  duty,  so  begrimed  with  smoke  and  powder  as  scarcely 
to  be  distinguished  even  by  his  own  men.  He  is  admitted 
to  be  one  of  the  best  of  our  officers,  and  certainly  one 
of  the  hardest  working.  Tombs  always  distinguishes 
himself. 

July  12th.  —  300  of  my  new  regiment  have  just 
arrived.  100  more  left  Lahore  on  the  7th,  and  100  will 
be  here  very  soon  from  the  Sutlej.  Mr.  Montgomery 
has  done  me  most  essential  service,  as  I  could  never  by 
myself  (with  another  regiment  to  command,  and  so  much 
pen-work  to  do)  have  got  so  many  men  together ;  and 
everything  he  does  is  so  complete.  He  sends  figured 
statements  giving  all  details  regarding  men  and  horses, 
(these  last  are  very  difficult  to  get,)  which  will  save  me 
much  time  and  labor  hereafter.  He  has  been  really 
most  kind,  and  has,  moreover,  during  this  troublous  time, 
evinced  an  energy,  decision,  and  vigor  for  which  I  believe 
the  world  hardly  gave  him  credit.  For  officers,  I  hope  to 
have  permanently,  Macdowell,  Shebbeare,  (now  acting  as 
my  2d  in  command  of  the  Guides,  and  a  most  excellent 
officer,)  and  Hugh  Gough  of  the  3d  Cavalry.  Saunders 

made 's  removal  a  "sine  qua  non"  before  he  would 

take  charge  of  the  district.  He  came  to  me  to  recom 
mend  a  good  officer  to  command  the  Jheend  troops.  I 
named  that  merry  grig,  George  Hall,  who  is,  I  believe, 
available,  and  a  really  good  soldier.  I  have  got  a  very 
nice  lad  "  pro  tern."  in  the  Guides,  young  Craigie,  who 


TREACHERY    OF   THE   KOTAH   CONTINGENT.      275 

promises  very  well  indeed.  I  have  seven  officers  at 
tached  to  the  Guides,  but  two  are  wounded,  and  Chal 
mers  is  very  ill.  Young  Ellis  of  the  1st  Fusileers  is 
down  with  cholera,  poor  boy ;  and  Colonel  Welchman 
dangerously  ill  and  in  great  agony.  I  grieve  deeply  for 
the  brave  old  man,  for  I  fear  we  shall  lose  him. 

July  13th.  —  We  have  had  news  from  Agra  to-day  up 
to  the  7th.  The  Neemuch  rebels  and  others  approached 
Agra  from  the  south.  The  3d  Europeans  and  D'Oyley's 
Battery  went  out  to  meet  them  with  the  Kotah  Contin 
gent.  The  Contingent  turned  against  us  as  soon  as  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  enemy.  A  fight  ensued,  in  which 
the  mutineers  got  well  beaten,  despite  the  treachery  and 
great  disparity  of  numbers ;  two  of  their  guns  were 
taken.  On  our  side  we  lost  one  gun,  the  tumbrels  having 
been  blown  up  and  the  horses  killed.  All  our  men's 
ammunition  was  expended,  and  they  had  to  retire  in  good 
order  into  th'e  fort.  D'Oyley  was  killed  and  two  officers 
wounded.  Thirty  casualties  in  all.  The  mutineers  then 
rushed  into  cantonments,  which  they  burnt  and  pillaged  ; 
then  broke  open  the  great  jail  and  released  the  prisoners. 
They  did  not  venture  near  the  fort,  but  marched  off 
towards  Muttra,  and  will,  I  suppose,  come  here.  The 
delay  here  is  sickening  ;  if  it  continues  much  longer,  we 
shall  be  too  weak-handed  to  attempt  to  take  the  place 
until  fresh  regiments  arrive. 

I  inspected  my  three  new  troops  this  morning ;  very 
fine-looking  fellows,  most  of  them.  I  am  getting  quite  a 
little  army  under  me,  what  with  the  Guides  and  my  own 
men.  Would  to  Heaven  they  would  give  us  something 
more  to  do  than  this  desultory  warfare,  which  destroys 
our  best  men,  and  brings  us  no  whit  nearer  Delhi,  and 
removes  the  end  of  the  campaign  to  an  indefinite  period. 


276  SHARP   ENCOUNTER. 

July  14M.  —  Only  time  *  to  say  I  am  again  mercifully 
preserved,  safe  and  unhurt,  after  one  of  the  sharpest 
encounters  we  have  yet  had.  Shebbeare  got  wounded 
early  in  the  fight,  so  I  led  the  Guide  Infantry  myself  in 
the  skirmish  of  the  villages  and  suburbs.  I  charged 
the  guns  with  some  eight  horsemen,  a  party  of  the  Guide 
Infantry  and  1st  Fusileers.  We  got  within  thirty  yards, 
but  the  enemy's  grape  was  too  much  for  our  small  party. 
Three  of  my  officers,  Shebbeare,  Hawes,  and  De  Brett, 
slightly  wounded,  and  several  men  ;  but  though  well  to 
the  front,  my  party  suffered  proportion  ably  least. 

Of  the  Fusileers,  who  were  with  us,  some  sixty  men 
were  wounded  ;  DanielPs  arm  broken  by  a  shot,  Jacob's 
horse  shot  dead  under  him,  Chamberlain  shot  through  the 
arm,  little  Roberts  wounded,  and  several  more. 

Everybody  wonders  I  was  not  hit ;  none  more  than 
myself.  God  has  been  very  merciful  to  me.  Colonel 
Welchman  better ;  Brown  also.  More  particulars  here 
after. 

My  15th.  —  I  could  only  write  a  few  words  last  night 
on  my  return  from  the  fight,  worn  out  as  I  was  with  a 
severe  day's  work.  It  is  pretty  much  the  same  now, 
and  while  I  write  I  am  obliged  to  have  two  men  to  keep 
the  candle  alight  with  their  hands,  for  the  breeze  gets  up 
at  night,  and  we  have  all  the  "  Kanats "  of  the  tents 
down  to  enable  us  to  breathe  ;  and  having  no  shades  to 
the  candlesticks,  it  is  rather  difficult  to  write  even  that  I 
am  safe. 

*  Extract  from  Letter  of  COLONEL  (now  SIR  T.)  SEATOX,  from  Gimp, 
at  this  time  :  — 

"  Hodson's  courage  and  conduct  are  the  admiration  of  all,  and  how 
he  gets  through  the  immense  amount  of  work  and  fatigue  he  does  is 
marvellous. 

"  He  has  the  soundest  heart  and  clearest  head  of  any  man  in  camp." 


SICK  AND    WOUNDED.  — NARROW   ESCAPE.,      277 

July  1GM. — I  have  just  bade  good-bye  to  Colonel 
Welchman.  The  poor  old  man  is  better,  but  sadly  pulled 
down  and  aged.  The  doctors  now  think  his  arm  may  be 
saved,  that  it  may  re^main  on,  but  it  will  never  be  of  the 
slightest  use  to  him  again,  the  elbow-joint  is  so  much 
injured.  He  and  Captain  Brown  start  to-morrow  night, 
with  a  convoy  of  sick  and  wounded  men  and  officers,  for 
Uinbala  and  the  hills.  Of  these,  the  1st  Fusileers  form 
a  sad  proportion.  With  one  or  two  exceptions,  nothing 
could  be  better  or  more  gallant  than  the  conduct  of  this 
regiment.  Jacob,  Greville,  Wriford,  all  admirable  in  the 
field,  and  the  younger  officers  beyond  all  praise  ;  Butler, 
F.  Brown,  Owen,  and  Warner,  markedly  so.  In  all  the 
worst  of  the  awful  heat,  dust,  fatigue,  work,  and  privation, 
—  and  all  have  been  beyond  description,  —  our  plucky 
fellows  have  not  only  kept  up  their  own  spirits,  but  been 
an  example  and  pattern  to  the  camp.  If  any  one  was 
down  in  his  luck,  he  had  only  to  go  to  the  Fusileers' 
mess  and  be  jolly. 

The  story  in  the  papers  about  the  boot  was  essentially 
correct  for  once,  though  how  they  should  have  got  hold 
of  it  I  do  not  know,  for  I  never  mentioned  it  even  to 
you,  since  it  certainly  could  not  be  called  a  wound,  though 
a  very  narrow  escape  from  one.  A  rascally  Pandy 
made  a  thrust  at  my  horse,  which  I  parried,  when  he 
seized  his  "  tulwar  "  in  both  hands,  bringing  it  down  like 
a  sledge-hammer ;  it  caught  on  the  iron  of  my  antigrope- 
los  legging,  which  it  broke  into  the  skin,  cut  through  the 
stirrup-leather,  and  took  a  slice  off  my  boot  and  stocking ; 
and  yet,  wonderful  to  say,  the  sword  did  not  penetrate 
the  skin.  Both  my  horse  and  myself  were  staggered 
by  the  force  of  the  blow,  but  I  recovered  myself  quickly, 
and  I  don't  think  that  Pandy  will  ever  raise  his  "tulwar" 


278  ANOTHER  ATTACK. 

again.  I  should  not  have  entered  into  all  these  details 
about  self  but  for  those  tiresome  papers  having  made  so 
much  of  it.  The  fight  on  that  day  (the  14th)  was  the 
old  story.  An  attack  in  force  on  the  right  of  our  posi 
tion  ;  the  enemy  were  allowed  to  blaze  away,  expending 
powder,  and  doing  us  no  harm,  until  4  p.  M.,  when  a  col 
umn  was  sent  down  to  turn  them  out  of  the  gardens  and 
villages  they  had  occupied,  and  drive  them  back  to  the 
city.  I  had  just  returned  from  a  long  day's  work  with 
the  cavalry,  miles  away  in  the  rear,  and  had  come  back 
as  far  as  Light's  advanced  battery.  I  was  chatting  with 
him  for  a  few  minutes  en  passant,  when  I  saw  the  column 
pass  down.  I  joined  it,  and  sent  for  a  few  horsemen  to 
accompany  me,  and  when  we  got  under  fire,  I  found  the 
Guide  Infantry,  under  Shebbeare,  had  been  sent  to  join 
in  the  attack.  I  accompanied  them,  and  while  the  Fusi- 
leers  and  Coke's  men  were  driving  the  mass  of  the  enemy 
helter-skelter  through  the  gardens  to  our  right,  I  went, 
with  the  Guides,  Goorkhas,  and  part  of  the  Fusileers, 
along  the  Grand  Trunk  Road  leading  right  into  the  gates 
of  Delhi.  We  were  exposed  to  a  heavy  fire  of  grape 
from  the  walls,  and  musketry  from  behind  trees  and 
rocks  ;  but  pushing  on,  we  drove  them  right  up  to  the 
very  walls,  killing  uncounted  numbers,  and  then  were 
ordered  to  retire.  This  was  done  too  quickly  by  the 
artillery,  and  some  confusion  ensued,  the  troops  hurrying 
back  too  fast.  The  consequence  was,  the  enemy  rallied, 
bringing  up  infantry,  then  a  large  body  of  cavalry,  and 
behind  them  again  two  guns  to  bear  on  us.  There  were 
very  few  of  our  men,  but  I  managed  to  get  eight  horse 
men  to  the  front.  Shebbeare,  though  wounded,  aided 
me  in  rallying  some  Guide  Infantry,  and  Greville  and 
Jacob  (whose  horse  had  just  been  shot)  coming  up, 


GALLANTRY  OF  GUIDES.  279 

brought  a  few  scattered  Fusileers  forward.  I  called  on 
the  men  to  fire,  assuring  them  that  the  body  of  cavalry 
coming  down  would  never  stand.  I  got  a  few  men  tc 
open  fire  ;  my  gallant  Guides  stood  their  ground  like 
men  ;  Shebbeare,  Jacob,  Greville,  and  little  Butler,  came 
to  the  front,  and  the  mass  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  just  as 
I  said,  stopped,  reeled,  turned,  and  fled  in  confusion ;  the 
guns  behind  them  were  for  the  moment  deserted,  and  I 
tried  hard  to  get  up  a  charge  to  capture  them  ;  we  were 
within  thirty  paces  ;  twenty-five  resolute  men  would 
have  been  enough  ;  but  the  soldiers  were  blown,  and 
could  not  push  on  in  the  face  of  such  odds,  unsupported 
as  we  were,  for  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  troops  had 
retired.  My  eight  horsemen  stood  their  ground,  and  the 
little  knot  of  officers  used  every  exertion  to  aid  us,  when 
suddenly  two  rascals  rushed  forward  with  lighted  port-fires 
in  their  hands,  fired  the  guns,  loaded  with  grape,  in  our 
faces,  and  when  the  smoke  cleared  away,  we  found,  to 
our  infinite  disgust  and  chagrin,  that  they  had  limbered 
up  the  guns  and  were  off  at  a  gallop.  We  had  then  to 
effect  our  retreat  to  rejoin  the  column,  under  a  heavy  fire 
of  grape  and  musketry,  and  many  men  and  officers  were 
hit  in  doing  it.  I  managed  to  get  the  Guides  to  retire 
quietly,  fighting  as  they  went,  and  fairly  checking  the 
enemy,  on  which  I  galloped  back  and  brought  up  two 
guns,  when  we  soon  stopped  all  opposition,  and  drove  the 
last  living  rebel  into  his  Pandemonium.  My  Guides 
stood  firm,  and,  as  well  as  my  new  men,  behaved  admira 
bly  ;  not  so  all  who  were  engaged,  arid  it  was  in  conse 
quence  of  that  poor  Chamberlain  got  wounded ;  for  see 
ing  a  hesitation  among  the  troops  he  led,  wlio  did  not  like 
the  look  of  a  wall  lined  with  Pandies,  and  stopped  short 
instead  of  going  up  to  it,  he  leaped  his  horse  clean  over 


280  CRITICAL  SITUATION. 

the  wall  into  the  midst  of  them,  and  dared  the  men  to 
follow,  which  they  did,  but  he  got  a  ball  in  the  shoulder. 
There  is  not  a  braver  heart  or  cooler  head  in  camp  ;  his 
fault  is  too  great  hardihood  and  exposure  in  the  field  and 
a  sometimes  too  injudicious  indifference  to  his  own  life, 
or  that  of  his  men.  We  are  in  a  nice  fix  here  ;  General 
Reed  is  so  ill  he  is  ordered  away  at  once  ;  Chamberlain 
is  on  his  back  for  six  weeks  at  least ;  Norman,  however, 
is  safe  and  doing  admirably ;  were  he  to  be  hit,  the 
"  head-quarters  "  would  break  down  altogether.  There 
will  be  no  assault  on  Delhi  yet ;  our  rulers  will  now  less 
than  ever  decide  on  a  bold  course  ;  and  truth  to  tell,  the 
numbers  of  the  enemy  have  so  rapidly  increased,  and 
ours  have  been  so  little  replenished  in  proportion,  and 
our  losses,  for  a  small  army,  have  been  so  severe,  that  it 
becomes  a  question,  whether  now  we  have  numbers  suffi 
cient  to  risk  an  assault.  Would  to  Heaven  it  had  been 
tried  when  I  first  pressed  it.  How  many  brave  hearts 
have  been  sacrificed  in  consequence.  Coke's  men  suffered 
severely  on  the  14th  from  getting  too  close,  yet  not  close 
enough,  to  the  city  walls. 

July  Ylth.  —  But  little  private  writing  for  me  to-day, 
as  I  have  only  just  come  back  from  Brigadier  Hope 
Grant's  tent,  whither  I  went  on  business,  and  I  have 
been  fully  occupied  with  news-writers  cum  multis  aliis.  I 
begin  to  think  of  giving  up  this  Quartermaster-General's 
work,  now  that  times  are  so  changed.  I  began  with  poor 
General  Anson,  "  under  his  Excellency's  personal  or 
ders  ;  "  I  continued  this  work  under  General  Barnard  at 
his  request,  and  now  for  these  last  days  under  General 
Reed ;  but  he  too  is  incapacitated  by  sickness,  age,  and 
anxiety,  and  goes  off  to  the  hills  to-night.  Colonel  Cur- 
zon  left  for  Simla  yesterday.  Colonel  Congreve  also 


CHAMBERLAIN  AND  BEOHER  WOUNDED.  281 

goes,  so  the  head-quarters  of  the  army  are  finally  break 
ing  up.  The  Adjutant- General  (Chamberlain)  is  badly 
wounded,  the  Quartermaster-General  (Colonel  Becher) 
ditto,  though  he  does  work  a  little  in-doors,  if  one  may 
use  such  an  expression  of  a  tent,  but  he  ought  not  to  do 
even  that  much,  so  badly  hurt  as  he  is.  Colonel  Young, 
Norrnan,  and  myself  are  therefore  the  only  representa 
tives  of  the  head-quarter  staff,  except  the  doctors  and 
commissaries.  The  head-quarters  of  the  army  are  now 
at  Calcutta,  General  Pat  Grant's  arrival  having  been 
announced,  and  this  army  has  dropped  into  merely  a  field 
force,  commanded  by  Brigadier  Wilson  as  senior,  with 
the  rank  of  Brigadier-General.  I  can  hardly  reconcile 
myself  to  throw  up  the  Intelligence  Department  now  that 
I  have  had  the  trouble  of  getting  it  into  working  order ; 
but  for  my  own  sake  I  must  do  so,  for  it  is  a  terrible  drag 
on  me,  and  ties  me  down  too  much.  I  am  wonderfully 
well,  thank  God  !  and  able  to  get  through  as  much  work 
as  any  man  ;  but  commanding  two  regiments,  and  being 
eyes  and  ears  of  the  army  too,  is  really  too  much  !  Sheb- 
beare  and  Macdowell  are  appointed  to  my  regiment  in 
general  orders  —  the  former  as  second  in  command,  but 
to  continue  for  the  present  with  the  Guides ;  the  latter  as 
adjutant,  but  to  act  as  second  in  command  also,  for  the 
present.  I  hope  to  have  another  officer  or  two  in  a  few 
days,  as  more  now  devolves  on  poor  Mac  than  his  fragile 
fiame  can  well  stand.  I  wish  his  bodily  strength  was 
equal  to  his  will  and  courage.  It  is  hot,  oh,  how  hot ! 
and  we  can  have  nothing  but  a  hand  punkah  occasionally  ; 
if  our  servants  were  to  make  off,  we  should  indeed  be  in 
a  pretty  predicament,  but  hitherto  they  have  been  faith 
ful  and  unmurmuring. 

July  \Sth.  —  I  was  quite  unable  to  write  yesterday,  as 


282  SMART   FIGHTING. 

I  went  out  long  before  daylight ;  so  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  minutes  at  8  A.  M.  I  was  in  the  saddle  until  dark ! 
We  had  a  smart  engagement  in  the  afternoon.  I  was 
sent  for  to  take  the  Guide  cavalry  down  into  the  suburbs 
to  support  some  guns,  and  assist  in  driving  the  enemy 
back  into  the  city.  We  were  commanded  by  a  fine  old 
gentleman,  who  might  sit  for  a  portrait  of  Falstaff,  so  fat 
and  jolly  is  he :  Colonel  Jones,  of  the  60th  Rifles.  We 
got  down  to  our  point,  close  to  the  walls  of  Delhi,  easily 
enough,  the  rascally  enemy  being  ready  enough  to  turn 
and  fly  for  shelter ;  but  to  return  was  the  difficulty  ;  the 
instant  we  began  to  draw  off,  they  followed  us,  their  im 
mense  numbers  giving  them  a  great  power  of  annoyance 
at  very  slight  cost  to  themselves.  The  brave  old  colonel 
was  going  to  retire  "  all  of  a  heap,"  infantry,  guns,  and 
all  in  a  helpless  mass,  and  we  should  have  suffered  cruel 
loss  in  those  narrow  roads,  with  walls  and  buildings  on 
both  sides.  I  rode  up  to  him  and  pointed  this  out,  and  in 
reply  received  carte  blanche  to  act  as  I  saw  best.  This 
was  soon  done,  with  the  assistance  of  Henry  Vicars 
(Adjutant  61st)  and  Coghill,  (Adjutant  2d  Bengal  Euro 
pean  Fusileers,)  both  cool  soldiers  under  fire,  though  so 
young,  and  we  got  off  in  good  order  and  with  trifling  loss, 
drawing  the  men  back  slowly  and  in  regular  order, 
covered  by  Dixon's  and  Money's  guns.  My  own  men, 
whose  duty  was  the  difficult  one  of  enduring  a  very  hot 
fire  without  acting,  behaved  admirably,  and  I  had  the 
satisfaction  of  losing  only  one  killed  and  two  wounded, 
besides  a  few  horses,  who  generally  come  off  second  best 
where  bullets  are  flying  about.  My  poor  "  Feroza  "  was 
hit  by  one,  but  not  dangerously,  and  I  was  again  most  mer 
cifully  preserved  unharmed.  I  was  out  again  early  this 
morning  reconnoitring,  and  have  only  just  returned  in 


NUMBERS   OF   ENEMY.  283 

time  to  write  even  so  much,  too  much  of  myself  as  usual 
for  my  own  feeling,  but  you  will  have  it  so.* 

July  20^.  —  I  had  a  very  fatiguing,  because  sunshiny, 
ride  yesterday,  and  a  troublesome  species  of  reconnais 
sance,  to  prevent  the  enemy  getting  into  our  rear.  Their 
name  is  indeed  "  legion  "  compared  with  us.  I  should 
say,  from  all  I  can  ascertain  by  the  news-letters,  that 
there  cannot  be  less  than  3 6,00 Of  fighting  men  in  Delhi, 
while  we  are  barely  a  fifth  of  that  number,  including  cav 
alry  and  all !  Our  position,  however,  is  much  strength 
ened,  and  we  now  beat  them  with  half  the  trouble  we  had 
at  first,  their  appetite  for  fighting  being  considerably  les 
sened  by  having  been  so  repeatedly  driven  back  ;  but 
alas !  we  only  drive  them  back,  while  we  do  not  advance 
an  inch.  The  odds  have,  moreover,  fearfully  increased 
against  us  by  their  continued  accessions,  and  I  confess  I 
now  see  less  and  less  hope  of  success  in  an  assault ;  when 
I  first  urged  it,  the  enemy  had  not  more  than  7,000 
Sepoys  in  the  city,  while  we  had  2,000  infantry  alone. 
Now,  as  I  said  before,  the  case  is  very  different ;  for  even 
were  we  to  undertake  an  assault  with  a  reasonable  pros 
pect  of  success,  if  they  should,  in  despair,  determine  to  de 
fend  the  city  inch  by  inch,  or  street  by  street,  we  should 
not  have  men  enough  to  secure  our  hold  upon  it.  In  that 
case,  the  city  people  (all  of  whom  are  armed)  would  join 
in  the  fray,  and,  considering  what  the  consequences  of 
failure  would  be,  and  further,  that  to  do  this  much  we 
should  be  obliged  to  use  up  every  man  available,  leaving 

*  "  On  the  return  of  the  detachment  from  the  fight  of  the  18th,  Col 
onel  Jones,  who  commanded,  went  to  the  General  and  begged  to  thank 
Captain  Hodson  for  his  most  gallant  and  efficient  assistance,  adding 
his  hope  for  no  better  aid  whenever  he  had  to  lead  for  the  future."  — - 
Extract  from  a  Latter  from  Camp. 

f  It  was  ultimately  ascertained  that  there  were  70,000  or  75,000. 


284  MASSACRE. 

no  one,  or  next  to  none,  to  protect  our  camp,  sick,  and 
wounded,  from  any  attempt  of  the  enemy,  or  of  our  ques 
tionable  friends,  the  country  people,  it  becomes  a  matter 
of  serious  and  painful  consideration.  A  want  of  success, 
moreover,  would  now  be  productive  of  infinite  mischief. 
From  hence  to  Allahabad,  the  fort  of  Agra  and  the 
Residency  of  Lucknow  are  the  only  spots  where  the 
British  flag  still  flies.  We  are  more  to  be  considered  now 
as  an  isolated  band,  fighting  for  our  very  name  and  exist 
ence  in  the  midst  of  an  enemy's  country,  than  as  an  aveng 
ing  army  about  to  punish  a  rebel  force.  Sir  II.  Law 
rence  is  holding  out  at  Lucknow,  but  Cawnpore  has  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  rebels.  Sir  Hugh  Wheeler,  after 
three  weeks'  contest,  with,  we  hear,  only  150  Europeans, 
in  an  evil  hour  capitulated,  on  condition  of  being  pro 
vided  with  boats  and  a  free  passage  to  Allahabad  ;  as 
soon  as  they  were  on  board  the  boats,  the  whole  were 
massacred  !  What  became  of  the  women  and  children 
we  know  not ;  it  is  hoped  they  might  have  been  sent  away 
earlier  and  escaped  ;  otherwise  it  is  horrible  to  think  of 
what  may  have  been  their  fate.  Troops  are  collecting 
fast  at  Allahabad,  and  I  hope  moving  on  towards  Cawn 
pore  ;  some  think  we  shall  be  forced  to  await  their  ar 
rival  at  or  near  Delhi,  before  we  can  do  anything  effective. 
I  trust  earnestly  that  the  city  will  not  hold  out  so  long. 
The  people  within  it  are  immensely  disheartened,  and 
dissensions  are  rife  among  them.  A  split  between  the 
Hindoos  and  fanatic  Mahommedans  is  almost  inevitable, 
and,  above  all,  money  is  getting  scarce.  Meantime,  this 
"  waiting  race  "  is  very  wearying  to  heart  and  body. 

....  I  have  determined  on  giving  up  the  Assistant 
Quartermaster-Generalship.  It  gives  me  more  work 
than  I  really  can  manage  in  such  weather,  in  addition 


FACING   DANGER.  285 

to  the  command  of  two  regiments.  Macdowell  promises 
admirably,  and  I  trust  there  is  every  hope  of  our  having 
a  nice  body  of  officers  with  "  Hodson's  Horse."  Nothing 
further  from  Agra,  beyond  the  assurance  that  all  was 
well  there. 

July  *2lst.  —  Just  returned  from  a  long  reconnaissance, 
and  the  post  going  out,  so  I  have  time  but  for  little.  Do 
not  believe  what  the  idle  gossips  say,  of  my  "  doing  the 
work  of  two  .or  three  men."  I  strive  to  do  my  duty,  but 
I  cannot  consider  I  do  more.  I  do  not  run  wanton  risks, 
but  I  cannot  stand  by  and  see  what  ought  to  be  done, 
without  risking  something  to  do  it.  Had  I  not  attempted 
what  I  did  on  the  14th,  even  with  the  insufficient  means 
at  my  command,  we  should  have  been  exposed  to  a  dis 
astrous  loss  of  life,  and  to  the  discredit  of  a  reverse. 
That  we  cannot  afford.  It  is  not  only  the  possession  of 
India  which  is  at  stake,  not  only  our  name  and  fame  as 
Englishmen,  but  the  safety,  life,  and  honor  of  those  near 
est  and  dearest  to  us  ;  were  we  to  fail  here,  the  horrible 
scenes  of  Meerut,  Delhi,  Rohilcund,  Jhansee,  and  others, 
would  be  repeated  in  the  Punjaub  and  hill  stations.  Who, 
then,  as  husband,  brother,  father,  son,  would  hesitate  to 
face  any  danger,  any  risk,  which  tended  to  secure  vic 
tory  ?  I  saw  that  our  men  were  retiring  (by  order)  in 
great  confusion,  that  five  minutes  more  and  the  whole 
party  would  be  destroyed,  and  the  fate  of  the  column 
sealed,  for  the  enemy's  cavalry  and  guns  were  opening 
on  us  at  speed.  It  was  a  natural  impulse  to  rush  for 
ward,  and  nobly  was  I  aided  by  Jacob  and  Greville,  and 
my  handful  of  gallant  Guides  ;  the  tide  was  turned  by 
the  suddenness  of  the  act ;  the  enemy  were  driven  back, 
and  our  men  had  time  to  breathe.  This  was  not  much 
to  do,  but  it  was  a  great  deal  to  gain. 


286  THE  GUIDES  AND  THEIR  LEADER. 

July  22d.  —  Again  but  a  few  lines,  for  I  have  been 
regularly  hunted  all  clay.  I  told  you  that  Sir  II. 
Wheeler  had  capitulated,  and  been  treacherously  de 
stroyed  with  his  party ;  we  have  since  heard  that  a  force 
from  Allahabad  had  reached  Cawnpore  under  Colonel 
Neill  of  the  Madras  Fusileers,  that  Sir  H.  Lawrence  has 
been  succored,  and  that,  in  point  of  fact,  our  power  up 
to  Agra  had  been  reestablished.  God  grant  this  be  true. 
Agra  is  safe,  and  all  well ;  the  troops  which  attacked  it 
are  afraid  to  come  on  here,  and  have  halted  at  Muttra. 
The  force  in  Delhi  is  much  disheartened,  and  fights  with 
gradually  decaying  energy.  Already  we  have  beaten 
them  back  in  twenty-three  lights,  besides  a  few  such  af 
fairs  on  my  own  private  account,  and  though  with  con 
siderable  loss  to  us,  yet  with  comparative  ease,  when  you 
consider  their  overwhelming  numbers.  We  had  an  en 
gagement  on  the  evening  of  the  20th,  in  which  Colonel 
Seaton  commanded  our  column,  the  1st  Fusileers,  61st 
Foot,  and  Guides  as  usual.  I  had  command  of  the 
Guide  infantry,  and  led  the  advance  as  well  as  covered 
the  retreat ;  and  though  we  pushed  close  up  to  Delhi, 
we  never  had  a  shot  fired  from  the  walls  until  we  had 
set  out  on  our  return  to  camp  some  way.  They  then 
came  howling  after  us  like  jackals,  but  the  Guides  were 
mindful  of  their  old  leader's  voice,  and  steadily  kept 
them  in  check  during  the  whole  distance,  so  completely, 
that  not  a  European  soldier  was  under  fire,  and  I  only  lost 
four  men  slightly  wounded,  while  the  enemy  returned  in 
utter  discomfiture.  Poor  Light  has  been  very  ill,  and 
Thompson  has  a  bullet  through  his  leg.  Bishop  also  is 
wounded  ;  he  retains  the  same  calm  composure  of  man 
ner  under  the  hottest  fire  and  hardest  work,  as  he  habitu 
ally  exhibited  on  the  Mull.  These  are  excellent  officers, 


COLONEL  SEATON.  287 

but  Tombs  and  Light  are  really  splendid.  I  hope  Cham 
berlain's  arm  will  be  saved ;  he  is  a  noble  fellow,  but  of 
course  has  his  weaknesses. 

July  24:th.  —  I  was  quite  unable  to  write  yesterday. 
Pandy  chose  an  unusually  inconvenient  hour  for  his  at 
tack,  and  kept  us  out  until  the  afternoon,  and  then  I  was 
busied  in  attending  to  our  poor  friend  Colonel  Seaton, 
who,  I  grieve  to  say,  was  badly  wounded,  a  musket-ball 
having  entered  his  left  breast  and  come  out  at  his  back, 
providentially  passing  outside  the  ribs  instead  of  through 
his  body  ;  his  lungs. are,  however,  slightly  injured,  either 
by  a  broken  rib  or  the  concussion,  and  until  it  is  ascer 
tained  to  what  extent  this  has  gone,  he  is  considered  in 
danger.  I  do  not  myself  think  there  is  danger,  as  no 
unfavorable  symptom  has  yet  appeared,  except  a  slight 
spitting  of  blood  ;  but  he  is  so  patient  and  quiet  that  all 
is  in  his  favor.  I  am  deeply  sorry  for  him,  dear  fellow  ! 
and  fervently  pray  that  he  may  be  spared  to  us.  There 
was  little  actual  fighting  ;  the  rascals  ran,  the  instant  they 
came  in  contact  with  our  men  ;  the  only  firing  being  be 
hind  banks  and  garden-walls.  Colonel  Drought,  late 
60th  Native  Infantry,  was  wounded  ;  Captain  Money  of 
the  Artillery  got  a  bad  knock  on  the  knee-joint,  and  Law 
of  the  10th  Native  Infantry  killed  ;  two  killed  and  five 
wounded  in  the  1st  Fusileers,  who,  as  usual,  bore  the 
brunt.  After  many  discussions  pro  and  con,  it  has  been 
arranged  that  I  retain  the  Intelligence  Department  and 
give  up  the  Guides.  My  own  men  require  great  atten 
tion,  as  they  are  now  in  considerable  numbers  ;  so  the 
General  has  begged  me  to  relinquish  the  Guides  instead 
of  the  Assistant  Quartermaster-Generalship  ;  the,  com 
mand  of  two  regiments  being  an  anomaly.  I  am  very 
ready  to  do  this,  though  I  regret  the  separation  from  the 


288  FAVORABLE  REPORTS. 

men,  and  should  have  liked  to  have  led  my  old  corps  into 
Delhi ;  but  it  is  best  as  it  is.  You  at  least  will  rejoice 
that  it  greatly  diminishes  the  risk  to  life  and  limb,  which, 
I  confess,  lately  has  been  excessive  in  my  case.  The 
General  was  very  complimentary  on  my  doings  while 
commanding  the  Guides,  and  "  trusted  to  receive  equally 
invaluable  services  from  my  new  regiment."  I  have 
little  doubt  of  this,  if  I  am  spared.  I  find  General  Bar 
nard  reported  no  less  than  four  times  on  my  doings  in  the 
highest  terms ;  and  the  last  public  letter  he  ever  wrote 
was  a  special  despatch  to  Government  in  my  favor.  It 
was,  in  fact,  the  only  letter  of  the  kind  he  ever  wrote, 
for  death  intervened  just  as  he  was  setting  to  work  to 
bring  those  who  had  done  well  to  the  notice  of  Govern 
ment. 

They  tell  me  I  shall  get  pay  for  the  Assistant  Quarter 
master-General's  Department,*  as  well  as  my  command 
allowance.  For  the  Guides,  of  course  I  shall  get  noth 
ing  ;  but,  I  must  say,  I  work,  not  like  a  "  nigger,"  con 
sidering  their  work  usually  amounts  to  nil,  but  like  a 
slave,  in  the  Intelligence  Department.  I  have  been 
deeply  shocked  to  hear  that  poor  Christian,  his  young 
wife,  and  babes  were  among  the  murdered  in  Oudh. 
Also  Colonel  Goldney.  .  .  .  All  is  well  at  Agra  ;  there 
are  about  6,000  individuals  in  the  fort,  with  provisions  for 
six  months  ;  they  are  probably  relieved  by  now,  for  we 
hear  that  six  English  regiments  were  at  Cawnpore  on 
the  llth  instant.  This  cheers  up  the  men,  and  makes 
them  think  that  Government  has  some  thought  for  the 
gallant  fellows  here  and  elsewhere.  I  sent  by  Martin, 

*  It  was,  however,  refused  by  the  Government,  though  asked  for  in 
the  strongest  terms  of  praise  by  Colonel  A.  Becher,  Quartermaster- 
General,  and  recommended  by  the  General !  —  Ed. 


"TOUJOURS   L'AUDACE."  289 

of  the  75th,  a  parcel  for  Mrs.  Hallifax,  containing,  with 
other  things,  the  old  pistol  her  poor  husband  gave  me. 
I  should  have  liked  to  have  kept  it  as  a  memorial  of  him, 
but  as  she  wished  for  it,  of  course  I  resign  it ;  the  other 
arms,  except  the  revolver,  which  Dr.  Stewart  says  he 
lost,  were  packed  up  and  sent  to  Umbala  with  other 
things. 

July  2otk.  —  Well,  yes,  I  did  offer  to  go  down  the 
Doab  towards  Agra  and  Cawnpore,  to  open  the  com 
munication,  and  ascertain  exactly  where  the  reinforce 
ments  were,  and  assist  them  with  cavalry  in  coming  up 
towards  Delhi.  It  would  have  been  of  real  use,  and  not 
so  dangerous  as  this  eternal  potting  work  here.  I  pro 
posed  to  take  600  of  my  Horse,  250  infantry  of  the 
Guides,  and  four  guns  ;  could  I  not  have  made  my  way 
with  these  ?  I  humbly  opine  I  could.  I  do  not  mean 
to  say  it  was  not  a  bold  stroke,  but  in  Indian  warfare  I 
have  always  found  "  toujours  1'audace  "  not  a  bad  motto. 
I  can  never  forget  how  much  we  have  at  stake,  that  we 
have  a  continent  in  arms  against  us ;  and  I  do  think  (and 
certainly  shall  always  act  so)  that  every  man  should  do 
not  only  his  duty  but  his  utmost  in  a  crisis  like  the 
present. 

July  26th.  —  A  parcel  with  flannel  shirts,  &c.,  arrived 
last  night.  Those  for  the  men  I  sent  off  to  the  hospital 
at  once,  to  the  doctors'  great  delight.  Macdowell  de 
clares  that  the  cap,  his  "jumpers,"  and  the  "baccy" 
Lord  W.  Hay  was  to  send,  must  be  in  the  box,  and  de 
mands  them  imperiously.  He  is  doing  admirably,  and 
promises  to  be  a  first-rate  officer  of  light  horse.  He 
rides  well,  which  is  one  good  thing,  and  is  brave  as  a 
lion's  whelp,  which  is  another.  I  only  fear  whether  he 
has  physical  strength  for  such  work  in  such  weather. 
13 


290  ENGLISH  NATION. 

The  whole  country  is  a  steaming  bog.  I  keep  my  health 
wonderfully,  thank  God  !  in  spite  of  heat,  hard  work, 
and  exposure ;  and  the  men  bear  up  like  Britons.  We 
all  feel  that  Government  ought  to  allow  every  officer  and 
man  before  Delhi  to  count  every  month  spent  here  as  a 
year  of  service  in  India.  There  is  much  that  is  disap 
pointing  and  disgusting  to  a  man  who  feels  that  more 
might  have  been  done,  but  I  comfort  myself  with  the 
thought,  that  history  (if  Russell,  not  Macaulay,  writes 
it)  will  do  justice  to  the  constancy  and  fortitude  of  the 
handful  of  Englishmen  who  have  for  so  many  weeks  — 
months,  I  may  say  —  of  desperate  weather,  amid  the 
greatest  toil  and  hardship,  resisted  and  finally  defeated 
the  worst  and  most  strenuous  exertions  of  an  entire 
army  and  a  whole  nation  in  arms,  —  an  army  trained  by 
ourselves,  and  supplied  with  all  but  exhaustless  muni 
tions  of  war,  laid  up  by  ourselves  for  the  maintenance 
of  our  Empire.  I  venture  to  aver  that  no  other  nation 
in  the  world  would  have  remained  here,  or  have  avoided 
defeat  had  they  attempted  to  do  so.  The  delay  as  yet 
has  been  both  morally  and  politically  bad  in  many  ways, 
and  the  results  are  already  beginning  to  be  manifest,  but 
in  the  end  it  will  increase  our  prestige  and  the  moral 
effects  of  our  power.  A  nation  which  could  conquer  a 
country  like  the  Punjaub  so  recently  with  an  Hindos- 
tanee  army,  and  then  turn  the  energies  of  the  conquered 
Sikhs  to  subdue  the  very  army  by  which  they  were 
tamed ;  which  could  fight  out  a  position  like  Peshawur 
for  years  in  the  very  teeth  of  the  Affghan  tribes ;  and 
then,  when  suddenly  deprived  of  the  regiments  which 
effected  this,  could  unhesitatingly  employ  those  very 
tribes  to  disarm  and  quell  those  regiments  when  in  mu 
tiny,  —  a  nation  which  could  do  this  is  destined  indeed 


NANA   SAHIB.  291 

to  rule  the  world ;  and  the  races  of  Asia  must  succumb. 
This  is  a  proud  feeling,  and  nerves  one's  arm  in  many  a 
time  of  difficulty  and  danger,  as  much  almost  as  the  con 
viction  that  we  must  conquer,  or  worse  than  death  awaits 
us.  The  intelligence  of  Sir  H.  Wheeler's  destruction 
came  to  us  from  too  true  a  source  to  be  doubted,  —  it  was 
in  dear  Sir  Henry  Lawrence's  own  handwriting ;  and 
has  been  confirmed,  alas,  too  surely.  All  we  do  not 
know  is  whether  the  women  and  children  were  massa 
cred  with  the  men,  or  whether  they  escaped,  or  were 
reserved  for  a  worse  fate. 

One  of  my  news-letters  reports  that  eighteen  women 
are  in  prison  under  the  care  (?)  of  Nana  Sahib  (Bajee 
Rao  Peishwar's  adopted  son),  who  attacked  Cawnpore. 
You  must  remember  at  the  artillery  review  a  very  "  swell " 
looking  native  gentleman,  accompanied  by  another  edu 
cated  native,  who  spoke  French  and  other  European  lan 
guages,  and  was  talking  a  good  deal  to  Alfred  Light. 
Well,  this  was  the  identical  Nana  Sahib  who  has  done 
all  this,  and  who  must  even  at  that  very  time  have  been 
meditating  the  treachery,  if  not  the  murders. 

There  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  the  report  of  "  the 
King  of  Delhi  coming  out  for  a  final  struggle."  Ru 
mor  has  been  saying  so  for  weeks,  with  no  foundation ; 
the  truth  is,  the  King  is  a  mere  puppet,  a  "  ruse."  He  is 
old,  and  well-nigh  impotent,  and  is  only  used  as  authority 
for  all  the  acts  of  rebellion  and  barbarity  enacted  by  his 
sons.  The  rascals  talk  (in  the  city)  of  coming  round  on 
our  rear,  and  attacking  us  in  the  field.  I  only  wish 
they  would,  for  in  the  open  plain  we  should  hunt  them 
down  like  jackals.  They  escape  us  now  by  flying  back 
into  the  city,  or  under  cover  of  the  heavy  batteries  from 
its  walls.  When  (if  ever)  they  do  come  out,  the  Gen- 


292  EUROPEAN    FORCE. 

eral  has  proposed  to  put  the  whole  of  the  Irregular  Cav 
alry  under  my  command,  and  I  trust  to  give  a  tolerable 
account  of  the  enemy,  and  show  that  "  Hodson's  Horse  " 
are  capable  of  something,  even  already. 

Colonel  Seaton  is  doing  admirably,  I  am  thankful  to 
say.  He  is  patient  and  gentle  in  suffering  as  a  woman, 
and  this  helps  his  recovery  wonderfully. 

July  27th.  —  Since  the  23d,  hardly  a  shot  has  been 
fired  here.  The  news-letters  from  the  city  mention 
meetings  in  the  market-place,  and  talkings  at  the  cor 
ners  of  the  streets,  with  big  words  of  what  they  intend 
to  do ;  but  they  (the  people)  are  actually  cowed  and 
dispirited,  while  their  rulers  issue  orders  which  are  never 
obeyed. 

I  fear  our  movements  wait  upon  theirs.  We  have  no 
one  in  power  with  a  head  to  devise  or  a  heart  to  dare 
any  enterprise  which  might  result  in  the  capture  of 
Delhi ;  and  alas !  one  cannot  but  admit  that  it  would 
require  both  a  wise  head  and  a  very  great  heart  to  run 
the  risk  with  so  reduced  a  force  as  we  have  here  now. 
2,200  Europeans*  and  1,500  Native  Infantry  are  all  that 
we  now  can  muster.  We  have  reliable  news  from  be 
low,  that,  on  or  about  the  14th,  General  Havelock,  with 
the  first  portion  of  the  European  force,  met  and  attacked 
the  villain  Nana,  near  Futteypore  (between  Allahabad 
and  Cawnpore),  and  beat  him  thoroughly,  capturing  his 
camp,  twelve  guns,  and  seven  lac  of  rupees.  The  China 

*  European  force  before  Delhi,  August  1 :  — 

Infantry, 2,000 

Cavalry, 500 

Artillery, 550 

3,050 
On  actual  daily  duty,       .        .      2,007. 


GOOD  AND  BAD  NEWS.  293 

troops  had  arrived:  Lord  Elgin  having  consented  to  the 
employment  of  the  whole. 

Sir  P.  Grant  is  coming  up  with  these  troops,  "  on  dit," 
so  that  in  six  weeks  from  the  date  of  the  Meerut  mas 
sacre,  11,000  European  troops  will  have  landed  in  India  ; 
what  a  providential  arrival,  and  what  a  lesson  to  Asiatics 
that  they  can  never  contend  with  England. 

This  news  has  put  the  whole  camp,  even  the  croakers, 
of  whom  there  are  not  a  few,  in  high  spirits.  I  only 
hope  it  is  not  too  good  to  be  true. 

As  a  set-off  against  this,  news  has  arrived  that  Tudor 
Tucker,  his  wife,  and  Sam  Fisher,  are  among  the  victims 
of  this  horrible  insurrection,  also,  poor  James  Thomason ; 
and  of  his  brother-in-law's,  Dr.  Hay's,  execution,  there 
can  be  no  longer  a  doubt.  Plow  many  hecatombs  of  Se 
poys  would  it  require  to  atone  for  their  deaths  alone. 
When  shall  we  see  the  last ;  when  know  the  full  extent 
of  these  horrible  atrocities  ?  The  accounts  make  one's 
blood  run  fire.  Our  dear  Douglas  Seaton  has  arrived  in 
England,  much  restored  by  the  voyage,  but  not,  I  fear, 
sufficiently  recovered  to  return,  as  soon  as  he  would  hear 
of  the  outbreak.  A  sad  blow  for  him,  poor  fellow,  for 
had  he  been  here  to  command  the  regiment,  he  would 
probably  have  been  a  full  Colonel  and  C.  B.  at  the  end. 
I  am  seriously  uneasy  at  receiving  no  letters  from  Eng 
land,  though  mail  after  mail  must  have  arrived,  and  some 
people  get  their  letters  !  therefore  why  not  I  mine  ?  We 
get  none  even  from  Agra,  and  of  course  not  below  it,  ex 
cept  by  "  Kossid,"  and  they  but  little  scraps,  written  half 
in  Greek  characters,  to  mislead  or  deceive,  if  the  unfor 
tunate  bearer  is  stopped.  They  conceal  them  very  in 
geniously  between  the  leather  of  their  shoes,  or  tied  up 
in  their  hair.  I  inclose  one  that  came  in  even  a  more 


294  LADIES   IN   CAMP. 

singular  letter-bag  than  either,  rolled  up  in  a  piece  of 
wax  and  packed  into  a  hollow  tooth. 

—  tells  me  that was  furious  at  my  having  the 

Guides,  but  was  compelled  to  acquiesce  in  it  "  as  it  was 
undoubtedly  the  best  thing  for  the  public  service."  How 
he  must  have  winced  when  he  was  forced  to  confess  that. 

July  28th. — I  have  no  news.  The  Pandies  have  not 
attacked  us  since  the  23d,  and  are  much  dispirited.  In 
reply  to  your  and  Mrs.  -  — 's  wish  to  come  to  Delhi  as 
nurses,  I  must  say  honestly  that  there  is  no  necessity  for 
such  a  sacrifice.  Our  position  here  is  very  different  from 
that  in  the  Crimea  and  at  Scutari.  There  the  men  died 
from  want  of  care  and  of  the  ordinary  necessaries  of  life. 
Here  there  is  no  absolute  want  of  anything,  except  a 
genial  climate  and  well-built  hospitals,  neither  of  which 
you  could  supply.  The  men  are  attended  to  immediately 
they  are  sick  or  wounded  ;  and  within  an  hour,  some 
times  half  that  time,  of  his  being  wounded,  a  soldier  is 
in  his  bed,  with  everything  actually  necessary,  and  the 
greatest  medical  attention.  Unless  any  unforeseen  emer 
gency  should  arise,  I  would  strongly  dissuade  any  lady 
from  coming  to  camp. 

I  have  always  urged  the  authorities  to  send  away,  as 
fast  as  possible,  those  who  have  arrived  as  refugees.  We 
have  a  vast  camp,  or  rather  position,  five  miles  in  cir 
cumference,  and  we  are  constantly  obliged  to  take  every 
man  into  the  field.  The  guard  for  our  sick  is  trifling 
enough,  and  our  difficulties  would  be  increased  were  there 
women  also  to  be  thought  of ;  arid  God  forbid  that  any 
more  lives  should  be  risked  in  this  dreadful  servile  war. 
There  is  also  another  consideration  of  much  weight 
against  the  tender  sympathy  which  prompts  the  offer. 
How  is  a  delicate  woman's  constitution  to  bear  up  against 


MASSACRE   AT   CAWNPORE.  295 

the  evils  of  a  tented  field  in  the  rains,  or  render  efficient 
service  in  such  a  climate  as  this  is  now  ?  They  would 
all  very  speedily  become  patients  in  the  very  hospitals 
which  they  came  to  serve  and  would  so  willingly  support. 
The  flannel  garments  are  invaluable,  and  this  is  all  that 
can  be  done  for  us  by  female  hands  at  present. 

July  29th.  —  I  have  been  so  occupied  with  business  all 
day  that  I  have  only  time  to  say  we  have  had  no  more 
fighting,  and  the  whole  atmosphere  is  still,  but  hot,  oh,  so 
hot !  General  Wilson  is  unwell,  and  will  probably  break 
down,  like  the  rest.  These  sexagenarians  are  unfit  for 
work  in  July.  I  expect  Napier  will  be  with  the  advanc 
ing  troops.  I  sincerely  hope  so.  He  is  the  man  to  do 
something,  if  they  will  but  let  him. 

July  3lst.  —  I  intended  writing  more  fully  to  make  up 
for  my  late  short-comings,  but  the  Pandies  permit  it  not. 
They  made  an  attempt  on  our  position  this  morning ; 
nothing  more,  however,  than  a  distant  cannonade.  A 
large  party  have  moved  round  in  our  rear,  and  this  has 
kept  me  in  the  saddle  all  day.  I  have  just  returned, 
after  some  hours  of  the  heaviest  rain  I  was  ever  out  in, 
drenched  to  the  skin,  of  course,  and  somewhat  tired,  so 
judge  what  a  comfort  a  dry  flannel  shirt  must  be.  There 
was  no  actual  fighting,  so  with  the  exception  of  keeping 
us  out  so  long,  and  a  great  expenditure  of  powder  and 
shot,  no  harm  was  done. 

August  \st.  —  The  continued  heavy  rain  promises  to 
give  me  more  time  for  pen-work  to-day,  if  no  more  takes 
place  on  this  side  of  Pandy-monium.  The  box  has 
arrived  safely  with  the  new  "jumpers,"  &c.  Lord  Wil 
liam's  additions  are  invaluable.  We  have  fresh  accounts 
from  below  that  every  European  woman  and  child  have 
been  ruthlessly  murdered  at  Cawnpore.  The  details  are 


296  IDEA   OF  "DUTY." 

too  revolting  to  put  on  paper,  and  make  one's  blood  boil. 
Mothers  with  infants  in  their  arms  murdered  with  fiendish 
cruelty,  and  worse  than  all,  two  young  girls  just  arrived 
from  England  are  said  to  have  been  only  saved  to  meet  a 
worse  fate  in  some  Mussulman's  zenana.  There  will  be 
a  day  of  reckoning  for  these  things,  and  a  fierce  one,  or  I 
have  been  a  soldier  in  vain.  You  say  there  is  a  great 
difference  between  doing  one's  duty  and  running  unneces 
sary  risks,  and  you  say  truly  ;  the  only  question  is,  what 
is  one's  duty.  Now,  I  might,  as  I  have  more  than  once, 
see  things  going  wrong  at  a  time  and  place  when  I  might 
be  merely  a  spectator,  and  not  "  on  duty,"  or  ordered  to 
be  there,  and  I  might  feel  that  by  exposing  myself  to 
danger  for  a  time  I  might  rectify  matters,  and  I  might 
therefore  think  it  right  to  incur  that  danger  ;  and  yet  if  I 
were  to  get  hit,  it  would  be  said  "  he  had  no  business 
there  ; "  nor  should  I,  as  far  as  the  rules  of  the  service 
go,  though  in  my  own  mind  I  should  have  been  satisfied 
that  I  was  right.  These  are  times  when  every  man 
should  do  his  best,  his  utmost,  and  not  say,  "  No ;  though 
I  see  I  can  do  good  there,  yet,  as  I  have  not  been  ordered 
and  am  not  on  duty,  I  will  not  do  it."  This  is  not  my 
idea  of  a  soldier's  duty,  and  hitherto  the  results  have 
proved  me  right.  Poor  Eaton  Travers,  of  Coke's  regi 
ment,  was  killed  this  morning.  He  had  just  come  from 
England  via  Bombay,  with  a  young  wife,  whom  he  left 
at  Lahore.  Poor  young  thing,  a  sad  beginning  and  end  for 
her.  We  send  off  convoys  of  the  sick  and  wounded  to 
Umbala,  where  we  hear  they  are  well  tended  and  are 
doing  well.  Even  here  everything  possible  is  done  for 
them  ;  Dr.  Brougham  is  an  excellent  man,  and  first-rate 
surgeon,  quite  the  man  of  the  camp  in  his  line,  clever, 
indefatigable,  and  humane. 


SICKNESS   ON  THE  INCREASE.  297 

2d.  —  The  rebels  attacked  us  about  5  p.  M.  yesterday, 
and  kept  us  at  it  till  seven  or  eight  this  morning.  Our 
people  kept  steadily  at  their  posts  and  behind  intrench- 
inents,  and  drove  them  back  with  steady  volleys  every 
time  they  came  near.  The  result  was,  that  they  were 
punished  severely,  while  our  loss  was  a  very  trifling  one, 
not  more  than  half  a  dozen  Europeans  killed  and  wound 
ed;  it  is  next  to  impossible  ever  to  ascertain  accurately 
what  the  enemy's  loss  is. 

Colonel  Seaton  is  doing  well ;  in  three  weeks'  time  I 
hope  he  will  be  about  again.  Before  this  surely  our 
rulers  will  consent  to  take  Delhi.  Sickness  is  on  the 
increase,  and  we  have  been  nearly  losing  another  Gen 
eral.  General  Wilson  was  very  ill  for  a  few  days,  but 
is  now  better.  He  is  older,  however,  by  ten  years  than 
he  was.  The  responsibility  and  anxiety  of  what  is  cer 
tainly  a  very  difficult  position,  have  been  too  much  for 
him,  and  he  has  got  into  the  way  of  being  nervous  and 
alarmed,  and  overanxious  even  about  trifles,  which  shakes 
one's  dependence  on  his  judgment.  These  men  are  per 
sonally  as  brave  as  lions,  but  they  have  not  big  hearts  or 
heads  enough  for  circumstances  of  serious  responsibility. 
This  word  is  the  bugbear  which  hampers  all  our  proceed 
ings.  Would  we  could  have  had  Sir  Henry  Lawrence 
as  our  leader  ;  we  should  have  been  in  Delhi  weeks  ago. 
I  hope  Colonel  Napier  is  coming  up  with  the  force.  He 
has  head,  and  heart,  and  nerve,  and  the  moral  courage  to 
act  as  if  he  had  ;  we  hear  that  the  crisis  is  passing  ;  all 
below  Cawnpore  is  safe,  and  all  above  Kurnal  to  Pe- 
shawur  ;  while  Lord  W.  Hay  keeps  the  more  important 
hill  stations  steady.  When  all  is  over,  our  power  will  be 
stronger  than  ever,  principally  because  we  shall  have  got 
rid  of  our  great  sore,  a  native  army. 


298         REPORT   OF  SIR  H.  LAWRENCE'S   DEATH. 

3d.  —  4  P.  M.  and  I  have  only  just  got  out  of  the  sad 
dle,  and  found  on  my  arrival  in  camp  the  heaviest  news 
that  has  yet  reached  us.  Report  says  that  Sir  Henry  is 
dead  !  The  news  wants  confirmation,  and  God  grant  that 
it  may  be  untrue.  I  should  lose  one  of  my  best  friends, 
and  the  country  (in  Lord  Dalhousie's  words  on  poor 
Mackeson)  "  one  whose  loss  would  dim  a  victory."  I 
cannot  write  more  to-day ;  the  news  has  quite  unnerved 
me. 

4tth.  —  Two  letters  have  just  arrived  from  General 
Havelock  at  Cawnpore.  They  were  written  at  an  inter 
val  of  ten  days,  and  mentioned  his  having  had  three  suc 
cessful  fights,  on  the  12th,  loth,  and  16th  of  July,  and 
the  reoccupation  of  Cawnpore.  The  first  of  these  let 
ters  mentions  a  report  that  Sir  Henry  had  died  on  the 
4th  July,  of  wounds  received  on  the  2d  ;  but  the  second 
letter,  written  ten  days  later,  does  riot  even  allude  to  a 
circumstance  of  such  importance,  and  the  Sikh  who 
brought  it,  and  who  left  Havelock  near  Lucknow,  on  his 
way  to  its  relief,  maintains  that  it  is  not  true,  and  that 
Sir  Henry  Lawrence  was  alive  when  he  left,  as  letters 
were  constantly  passing  from  Havelock's  camp  to  the 
"  Burra  Sahib."  God  grant,  for  his  country's  sake  arid 
for  mine,  that  it  be  not  true.  To  the  country  his  death 
would  be  worse  than  the  loss  of  a  province  ;  to  me  it 
would  be  the  loss  of  my  truest  and  most  valued  friend. 
I  hope,  yet  fear  to  hope,  that  it  may  be  a  false  report ; 
yet  what  soldier  would  wish  a  more  noble,  a  more  bril 
liant  end  to  such  a  career  ?  Havelock  has  captured  all 
the  enemy's  guns,  and  inflicted  severe  punishment.  The 
destruction  of  Sir  Hugh  Wheeler  and  his  party  is  fully 
confirmed,  and  Havelock  was  too  late  to  save  the  unfor 
tunate  women  and  children,  who  were  massacred  in  their 


FURY   OF   EUROPEAN   SOLDIERS.  299 

prison,  before  his  arrival,  by  their  guards.  Such  fiends 
as  these  our  arras  have  never  met  with  in  any  part  of  the 
world.  May  our  vengeance  be  as  speedy  as  it  will  un 
questionably  be  sure  ! 

We  (Hodson's  Horse)  are  getting  on  very  comfortably, 
and  are  going  to  start  a  mess  on  our  own  account,  so  as 
to  be  ready  to  march  without  difficulty  when  required. 

5th.  —  To-day  the  accounts  received  from  a  native 
Commissariat  Agent,  arrived  at  Meerut  from  Lucknow, 
are  positive  as  to  Sir  H.  Lawrence  being  alive  a  fort 
night  after  he  was  said  to  have  died.  This,  if  reliable, 
is  good  indeed.  The  letter  I  annex  *  from  Colonel  Tytler 
gives  good  news,  and  the  man  who  brought  the  letter, 
says  there  were  fourteen  steamers  and  flats  at  Cawnpore 
when  he  left.  The  troops  had  taken  Bithoor,  the  Nana's 
place,  and  at  first  it  was  uninjured,  but  the  bodies  of  some 
Knglish  women  were  found  inside  the  Nana's  house,  on 
which  the  European  soldiers,  excited  to  irresistible  fury, 
destroyed  every  human  being  in  the  place,  and  then  de 
molished  the  building,  not  leaving  one  stone  upon  another. 
The  Nana  himself,  with  his  family,  took  refuge  in  a  boat 
on  the  river,  and  the  native  accounts  add  that  he  sunk 
it,  and  all  were  drowned.  This  I  strongly  doubt ;  such 
Spartan  heroism  could  scarcely  exist  in  the  mind  of 

*  "  CAWNPORE,  July  2Gth. 

"  General  Havelock  has  crossed  the  river  to  relieve  Lucknow,  which 
will  be  effected  four  days  hence. 

"  We  shall  probably  march  to  Delhi  to-morrow,  with  4,000  or  5,000 
Europeans,  and  a  heavy  artillery,  in  number,  not  weight. 

"  The  China  force  is  in  Calcutta,  5,000  men.  More  troops  expected 
immediately.  We  shall  soon  be  with  you.  —  Yours  truly, 

"  B.  A.  TYTLEK, 

"  Lieut.- Col.,  Quartermaster-General, 
"  Movable  Column.''1 


300  RECONNOITRING   EXPEDITION. 

one  who  could  violate  and  massacre  helpless  women  and 
children.  Indeed,  I  hope  it  is  not  true  ;  for  it  is  one  of 
my  aims  to  have  the  catching  of  the  said  Nana  myself. 
The  hanging  him  would  be  a  positive  pleasure  to  me.  I 
trust  the  day  of  retribution  is  not  far  distant. 

Qth.  —  Small  chance  of  much  writing  to-day,  for  just 
as  I* have  got  into  camp,  after  some  hours'  attendance  on 
the  pleasure  of  the  Pandies,  who  came  out  in  force  and 
threatened  an  attack,  I  find  that  I  have  to  start  on  a  long 
reconnoitring  expedition,  from  which  I  cannot  return  till 
late  at  night.  This  is  unfortunate,  as  I  have  much  pen- 
work  on  hand,  my  necessary  official  writing  being  very 
onerous.  I  was  obliged  to  write  as  long  a  letter  as  I 
could  to  Lord  W.  Hay,  if  but  to  thank  him,  in  my  own 
and  others'  name,  for  the  comforts  he  so  thoughtfully 
sent  us. 

I  have  a  very  complimentary  letter  from  G.  Barnes, 
the  Commissioner,  as  well  as  some  others,  enough  to  turn 
one's  head  with  vanity  ;  but  I  have  had  bitter  experience 
of  its  rottenness,  and  take  the  flattery  at  its  full  value, 
namely,  "nil."  I  fear,  from  fresh  reports  arrived,  that 
Havelock  will  not  come  and  help  us  after  all.  They  say 
he  has  the  strictest  orders  to  relieve  Lucknow  only,  and 
that  however  much  he  may  desire  to  march  on  to  Delhi, 
it  is  out  of  his  power  to  do  so.  It  is  true  we  do  not  want 
him.  Delhi  surely  must  be  taken  as  soon  as  ever  the 
reinforcements  get  down  here  from  the  Punjaub.  Our 
rulers  must  then  see  the  necessity  for  action. 

7th.  —  I  returned  at  three  o'clock  this  morning  from  a 
forty  miles'  ride  over  the  worst  and  wettest  country  I 
was  ever  in,  and  I  am  thoroughly  exhausted,  though 
everybody  is  wanting  something,  and  I  must  attend  to 
business  first,  and  then  to  rest. 


DOCTOR   LYELL'S   DEATH.  301 

Sth.  —  I  could  write  nothing  but  official  papers  all  the 
sedentary  part  of  yesterday.  I  did  not  get  in  till  9  P.  M. 
The  news  from  below  mentions  good  dear  old  Dr.  Lyell 
as  among  the  killed  at  Patna.  Brave,  noble  fellow,  his 
gallant  spirit  has  led  him  to  the  front  once  too  often.  He 
had  always  as  much  of  the  warrior  as  of  the  surgeon  in 
him.  The  report  has  again  gained  ground  of  dear  Sir 
Henry's  death,  but  my  heart  refuses  credence  to  so  great 
a  misfortune.  I  do  trust  that  when  the  52d  arrive,  we 
may  be  allowed  to  do  something  better  than  this  pot-shot 
work.  Nicholson  has  come  on  ahead,  and  is  a  host  in 
himself,  if  he  does  not  go  and  get  knocked  over  as  Cham 
berlain  did.  The  camp  is  all  alive  at  the  notion  of  some 
thing  decisive  taking  place  soon,  but  I  cannot  rally  from 
the  fear  of  dear  Sir  Henry's  fate.  How  many  of  my 
friends  are  gone.  My  heart  is  divided  between  grief  for 
those  precious  victims,  and  deep  gratitude  to  God  for  my 
own  safety  and  that  of  those  dearest  to  me.  May  He  in 
His  mercy  preserve  me  for  further  exertion  and  an  ulti 
mate  reunion,  and  if  not,  Qis  will  be  done.  I  have  a 
letter  from  an  unfortunate  woman,  a  Mrs.  Leeson,  who 
was  saved  from  the  slaughter  at  Delhi,  on  May  llth,  by 
an  Affghan  lad,  after  she  had  been  wounded,  and  her 
child  slaughtered  in  her  arms.  She  is  still  concealed  in 
the  AfFghan's  house.  I  heard  that  there  was  a  woman 
there,  and  managed  to  effect  a  communication  with  her, 
through  one  of  the  Guides,  and  to  send  her  money,  &c., 
and  so  I  think  the  poor  creature  may  be  preserved  till 
we  enter  Delhi,  if  we  fail  in  getting  her  free  before.  I 
fear  she  is  the  only  European,  or  rather  the  only  Chris 
tian  (for  she  herself  is  hardly  European),  left  alive  from 
the  massacre.  Her  husband  was  the  son  of  Major  Lee- 
son,  and  a  clerk  in  a  Government  office  in  Delhi.  I  have 


302  "MAID   OF   DELHI." 

sent  one  of  our  few  prisoners  up  to  Forsyth  at  Umbala, 
whom  we  ironically  call  the  "  Maid  of  Delhi,"  though 
her  age  and  character  are  questionable,  and  her  ugliness 
undoubted.  She  actually  came  out  on  horseback,  and  fought 
against  us  like  a  fiend.  The  General  at  first  released  her, 
but  knowing  how  mischievous  she  would  be  among  those 
superstitious  Mahornmedans,  I  persuaded  him  to  let  her 
be  recaptured,  and  made  over  for  safe  custody.  It  is  a 
moot  point  whether  any  assault  will  be  made  as  soon  as 
the  52d  arrive.  I  can  only  go  on  hoping,  but  I  confess 
I  am  not  very  sanguine  about  anything  being  done  now. 

Our  General,  since  his  illness,  has  got  a  still  weaker 
dread  of  responsibility,  and  ceased  to  be  nearly  as  vigor 
ous  even  as  heretofore.  Would  indeed  that  we  had  had 
Sir  H.  Lawrence  here  ;  that  he  may  have  been,  and  still 
be  spared  to  us,  is  my  prayer !  The  consequences  of 
longer  delay  will  be  more  and  more  disastrous  to  the 
health  of  the  troops.  Captain  Daly  has  not  formally 
reassumed  command  of  the  Guides,  though  he  virtually 
does  all  the  sedentary  work..  By  an  arrangement  which 
I  cannot  but  think  unwise,  and  which  deprives  the  corps 
of  two  thirds  of  its  value,  they  have  separated  the  regi 
ment  into  two,  putting  the  cavalry  into  the  Cavalry  Bri 
gade  under  Hope  Grant,  and  the  infantry  at  the  other 
end  of  the  camp  under  Shebbeare,  and  Major  Reid  of 
the  Goorkhas,  who  commands  all  the  posts  and  pickets 
on  our  right. 

The  Guides  should  not  be  separated,  and  should  be 
kept  as  much  apart  as  may  be  from  other  corps.  No 
regiment  in  the  world  have  done  or  will  do  better  than 
they,  with  a  little  prudence,  and  under  an  officer  whom 
they  like  and  can  trust.  My  own  regiment  is  also  in  the 
Cavalry  Brigade,  and  is  very  hard-worked.  It  is  bad 


DISAFFECTION  IN    CITY.  303 

for  a  young  and  unformed  corps,  but  there  is  such  a 
scarcity  of  cavalry  here,  that  I  cannot  even  remonstrate, 
and  I  get  no  small  amount  of  /cwJof  for  having  so  large  a 
number  of  men  fit  to  be  put  on  duty  within  two  months 
of  receiving  the  order  to  raise  a  regiment.  I  shall  have 
two  more  troops  in  with  the  52d,  and  Nicholson  has  given 
me  fifty  Affghans,  just  joined  him  from  Peshawur,  which, 
added  to  thirty  coming  with  Alee  Reza  Khan  from  La 
hore,  will  complete  an  Affghan  troop  as  a  counterpoise  to 
rny  Punjaubees.* 

We  expect  the  movable  column  on  the  12th  or  13th, 
weather  permitting,  and  some  other  troops  a  day  or  two 
after.  Sir  P.  Grant  is  supposed  to  be  at  Cawnpore,  but 
we  have  no  tidings  later  than  Colonel  Tytler's  letter. 
There  is  no  actual  fighting  going  on  here,  nothing  except 
the  usual  cannonade.  The  rebels  bring  out  guns  on  all 
sides,  and  fire  away  day  and  night,  but  bring  no  troops 
forward,  and  as  we  act  strictly  on  the  defensive,  we  merely 
reply  to  their  guns  with  ours.  The  whole  affair  is  re 
duced  to  a  combat  of  artillery,  our  leader's  favorite  arm, 
excellent  when  combined  with  the  other  two,  but  if  he 
expects  to  get  into  Delhi  with  that  alone,  I  guess  he  will 
find  himself  mistaken.  The  news  of  disaffection  in  the 
city  is  daily  confirmed.  On  the  7th  a  powder  manufac 
tory  exploded,  and  they  suspended  the  minister,  Hakeem 
Ahsanoolah,  and  searched  his  house  ;  there  they  found  a 
letter  which  had  been  sent  him,  concocted  by  Moulvie 
liujub  Alee,  which  confirmed  their  suspicions,  so  they 
plundered  and  burnt  his  house,  while  he  himself  was  only 
saved  by  taking  refuge  in  the  palace  with  the  King,  his 

*  The  uniform  of  "Hodson's  Horse"  was  a  dust-colored  tunic, 
with  a  scarlet  sash  worn  over  the  shoulder,  and  scarlet  turban,  which 
gained  them  the  name  of  "  the  Flamingoes." 


304     SHOWERS'S  ATTACK  ON  THE  ENEMY. 
I 

master,  who  it  seems  is  kept  close  prisoner  there,  his  sons 
giving  all  orders,  and  ruling  with  a  rod  of  iron.  They 
say,  however,  that  the  King  has  got  leave  to  send  his 
wives  and  women  out  of  the  Ajmere  gate  to  the  Kootub. 
I  trust  it  may  be  so,  for  we  do  not  war  with  women,  and 
should  be  sadly  puzzled  to  know  what  to  do  with  them 
as  prisoners. 

August  llth.  —  The  bridge  over  the  Jumna  resists  all 
efforts  for  its  destruction.  Our  engineers  have  tried 
their  worst,  and  failed.  I  have  tried  all  that  money 
could  do,  to  the  extent  of  6,000  rupees,  but  equally  in 
vain.  So  there  it  remains  for  the  benefit  of  the  enemy, 
whose  principal  reinforcements  come  from  that  side  of 
the  city.  Two  messengers  of  rny  own,  arrived  from 
Lucknow,  leave  little  hope  of  dear  Sir  Henry's  life  hav 
ing  been  spared.  I  grieve  as  for  a  brother 

Talking  of  jealousies,  one  day,  under  a  heavy  fire,  Cap 
tain  came  up  to  me,  and  begged  me  to  forget  and 

forgive  what  had  passed,  and  only  to  remember  that  we 
were  soldiers  fighting  together  in  a  common  cause.  As  I 
was  the  injured  party,  I  could  afford  to  do  this.  The 
time  and  place,  as  well  as  his  manner,  appealed  to  my 
better  feelings,  so  I  held  out  my  hand  at  once.  Novv-a- 
days,  we  must  stand  by  and  help  each  other,  forget  all 
injuries,  and  rise  superior  to  them,  or,  God  help  us !  we 
should  be  in  terrible  plight. 

August  12th.  —  This  morning  a  force  under  Colonel 
Showers  moved  down  before  daybreak  towards  the  city, 
or  rather  the  gardens  outside  the  city  gates,  and  gave  the 
enemy,  who  had  been  ensconced  behind  the  garden  walls 
for  a  couple  of  days,  and  given  our  pickets  annoyance,  a 
good  thrashing,  taking  four  of  their  guns,  and  inflicting  a 
heavy  loss.  All  were  back  in  camp  by  7  P.  M  ,  so  it  was 


BRINGING  IN  CAPTURED  GUNS.  305 

a  very  comfortable  little  affair.  Our  fellows  did  admira 
bly.  Captain  Greville  captured  one  gun  with  a  handful 
of  men.  getting  slightly  wounded  in  the  act.  Showers 
himself,  Coke,  and  young  Owen,  were  also  wounded,  and 
poor  young  Sheriff  of  the  2d  mortally  so ;  the  loss  among 
the  men  was  small  in  proportion  to  the  success.  The  re 
turn  to  camp  was  a  scene  worth  witnessing,  the  soldiers 
bringing  home  in  triumph  the  guns  they  had  captured,  a 
soldier,  with  musket  and  bayonet  fixed,  riding  each  horse, 
and  brave  young  Owen  astride  one  gun,  and  dozens  cling 
ing  to  and  pushing  it,  or  rather  them,  along  with  might 
and  main,  and  cheering  like  mad  things.  I  was  in  the 
thick  of  it  by  accident,  for  I  was  looking  on  as  well  as  I 
could  through  the  gloom,  when  Coke  asked  me  to  find 
Brigadier  Showers  and  say  he  was  wounded,  and  that 
the  guns  were  taken.  I  found  Showers  himself  wounded, 
and  then  had  to  find  a  field-officer  to  take  command, 
after  which,  I  assisted  generally  in  drawing  off  the  men 
—  the  withdrawal  or  retirement  being  the  most  difficult 
matter  always,  and  requiring  as  much  steadiness  as  an 
attack. 

August  I3th.  —  I  wish  I  could  get  some  pay,  but  money 
is  terribly  scarce  and  living  dear ;  my  favorite  beverage, 
tea,  particularly  so.  I  have  therefore  sent  to  Urnbala  for 
some. 

Ghoolab  Singh's  death  is  unfortunate  at  this  juncture, 
but  I  fancy  we  have  too  much  to  do  just  now  to  interfere 
with  the  succession  ;  we  ought  not  to  do  so  according  to 
treaty,  and  if  Jowahir  Singh  tries  to  recover  the  country 
from  his  cousin,  Runbeer  Singh,  the  King's  son,  why  that 
is  his  affair,  not  ours  —  though  we  should  never  be  con 
tented  to  let  them  fight  it  out  and  settle  it  themselves. 
Poor  Light  has  been  brought  very  low  by  dysentery,  and 


306  WELCOME  LETTERS. 

can  hardly  crawl  about,  but  about  he  persists  in  going, 

brave  fellow  as  he  is.  What  a  contrast  to ,  who  has 

got  away,  sick  or  pretending  to  be  so,  to  the  hills,  —  any 
thing  to  escape  work.  Greville  is,  I  am  thankful  to  say, 
not  badly  wounded,  and  as  plucky  as  ever.  All  well  at 
Agra  ;  no  news  from  below. 

August  l&h.  —  On  returning  from  a  rather  dishearten 
ing  reconnaissance  to-day,  I  found  letters  which  soothed 
and  comforted  my  weary  spirit,  just  as  a  sudden  gleam  of 
sunlight  brightens  a  gloomy  landscape,  and  brings  all  sur 
rounding  objects  into  light  and  distinctness. 

I  am  no  croaker,  but  I  confess  sometimes  it  requires 
all  one's  trust  in  the  God  of  battles,  and  all  the  comfort 
ing  and  sustaining  words  of  those  nearest  and  dearest  to 
us,  to  bear  up  boldly  and  bravely  through  these  weary 
days.  A  letter  from  good  Douglas  Seaton  was  among 
them.  He  little  thought  that  so  soon  after  his  departure 
we  should  all  be  moving  downwards,  and  that  I  should 
receive  his  letter  in  his  brother's  tent  in  "  Camp  before 
Delhi ;  "  his  own  dearly  loved  regiment  *  "  next  door  "  to 
us.  How  wonderfully  uncertain  everything  is  in  India. 
I  am  interrupted  by  orders  to  start  to-night  for  Rohtuck, 
and  must  go  and  make  arrangements. 

*  1st  European  Bengal  Fusileers. 


CHAPTER   III. 

SIEGE      OF     DELHI,    CONTINUED.  ROHTUCK     EXPEDI 
TION.  ASSAULT.  DELHI     TAKEN. CAPTURE    OF 

KING.  CAPTURE      AND       EXECUTION      OF     SHAHZA- 

DAHS. 

BOHUR,  NEAR  ROHTUCK,  August  ~L7tJl. 

I  HAVE  been  unable  to  write  since  we  left  Delhi,  as  we 
have  been  incessantly  marching,  and  had  no  means  of 
communicating  with  any  one.  Even  now  I  am  doubtful 
whether  this  will  reach  camp.  We  left  Delhi  during  the 
night  of  the  14th-15th,  and  marched  to  Khurkundah,  a 
large  village,  in  which  I  had  heard  that  a  great  number  of 
the  rascally  Irregulars  had  taken  refuge.  We  surprised 
and  attacked  the  village.  A  number  of  the  enemy  got  into 
a  house,  and  fought  like  devils  ;  but  we  mastered  them  and 
slew  the  whole.  Yesterday  we  marched  on  here,  intending 
to  reconnoitre  and  harass  "  a  la  Cosaque  "  a  large  party  of 
horsemen  and  foot,  with  two  guns,  who  have  been  moving 
along  from  Delhi,  plundering  the  wretched  villagers  en 
route,  and  threatening  to  attack  Hansie.  They,  however, 
thought  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor,  and,  hearing 
of  our  approach,  started  off  at  a  tangent  before  we  got 
near  enough  to  stop  them. 

We  have  been  drenched  with  rain,  so  I  am  halting  to 
dry  and  feed  both  men  and  horses,  and  then  we  go  on  to 
Rohtuck.  I  have  nearly  300  men  and  five  officers,  — 


308  LETTER   TO   COL.  BECKER. 

Ward,  Wise,  the  two  Goughs,  and  Macdowell,  —  all  first- 
rate  soldiers.  I  have  eighty  Guides,  and  the  rest  my 
own  men,  who  do  wonderfully,  considering  how  sadly  un 
trained  and  undisciplined  they  are.  We  are  roughing  it 
in  more  ways  than  one,  and  the  sun  is  terribly  hot ;  but 
we  are  all  well  and  in  high  spirits,  for  though  it  is  a  bold 
game  to  play,  I  am  too  careful  to  run  unnecessary  risks, 
or  get  into  a  fix.  I  have  done  a  good  deal  already,  and 
shall,  I  hope,  recover  Rohtuck  to-day,  when  I  do  trust  the 
authorities  will  consent  to  keep  it,  and  not  let  us  have  the 
work  to  do  twice  over,  as  at  Bhagput. 


To  COLONEL  BECHER,  Quartermaster- General. 

MY  DEAR  COLONEL,  —  We  are  getting  on  very  well. 
I  hope  to  take  Rohtuck  to-day,  and  I  trust  arrangements 
will  be  made  for  keeping  it.  The  country  will  then  be 
quiet  from  Hansie  to  Delhi.  The  Jheend  Rajah  should 
be  told  to  take  care  of  the  district.  I  believe  Greathed 
did  make  this  arrangement,  but  Barnes  put  some  spoke 
in  the  way,  so  that  the  Rajah  is  uncertain  how  to  act. 
Please  tell  Greathed  from  me  that  there  is  nothing  now 
to  prevent  the  restoration  of  order  here.  I  wish  I  had 
a  stronger  party,  for  though  I  feel  quite  comfortable  my 
self,  yet  I  should  like  more  troops,  for  the  sake  of  the 
men,  who  are  not  quite  so  easy  in  their  minds.  The 
road  by  Alipore,  Boanah,  and  Khurkundah  is  the  best. 
The  canal  is  easily  fordable  at  Boanah,  and  just  below 
that  place  (at  the  escape)  it  is  quite  dry,  the  banks  hav 
ing  given  way.  We  polished  off  the  Khurkundah  gentry 
in  style,  though  they  showed  fight  to  a  great  extent.  It 
has  had  a  wonderfully  calming  effect  on  the  neighborhood. 


ROHTUCK  EXPEDITION.  309 

I  hope  the  Jhecnd  troops,  or  some  troops,  may  be  sent 
here.     The  Jheend  men  would  more  than  suffice. 
Yours  very  sincerely, 

W.  S.  R.  HODSON. 


CAMP,  DUSSEEAH,  NEAR  ROHTUCK,  IQth  August. 
This  is  the  first  rest  since  Bohur  ;  we  have  had  very 
hard  work,  great  heat,  and  long  exposure  ;  but,  thank 
God,  are  all  well  and  safe,  and  have  done  some  business. 
I  marched  from  Bohur  on  the  evening  of  the  17th.  On 
reaching  Rohtuck,  we  found  the  Mussulman  portion  of 
the  people,  and  a  crowd  of  Irregulars  drawn  up  on  the 
walls,  while  a  considerable  party  were  on  a  mound  out 
side.  I  had  ridden  forward  with  Captain  Ward  and  a 
few  orderlies  to  see  how  the  land  lay,  when  the  rascals 
fired,  and  ran  towards  us.  I  sent  word  for  my  cavalry  to 
come  up,  and  rode  slowly  back  myself,  in  order  to  tempt 
them  out,  which  had  partly  the  desired  effect,  and  as  soon  as 
my  leading  troop  came  up,  we  dashed  at  them  and  drove 
them  helter-skelter  into  the  town,  killing  all  we  overtook. 
We  then  encamped  in  what  was  the  Kutcherry  compound, 
and  had  a  grateful  rest  and  a  quiet  night.  The  represent 
atives  of  the  better-disposed  part  of  the  population  came  out 
to  me,  and  amply  provided  us  with  supplies  for  both  man 
and  beast.  The  rest  were  to  have  made  their  "  amende  " 
in  the  morning ;  but  a  disaffected  Rangur  went  off  early, 
and  brought  up  300  Irregular  horsemen  of  the  muti 
neers,  —  1st,  13th,  14th,  and  other  rebels,  —  and  having 
collected  about  1,000  armed  rascals  on  foot,  came  out  to 
attack  my  little  party  of  barely  300  sabres  and  six  officers. 
The  Sowars  dashed  at  a  gallop  up  the  road,  and  came 
boldly  enough  up  to  our  camp.  I  had,  a  few  minutes 


310  DECEIVING  THE  ENEMY. 

before,  fortunately  received  notice  of  their  intentions,  and 
as  I  had  kept  the  horses  ready  saddled,  we  were  out  and 
at  them  in  a  few  seconds.  To  drive  them  scattering  back 
to  the  town  was  the  work  of  only  as  many  more,  and  I 
then,  seeing  their  numbers,  and  the  quantity  of  match 
locks  brought  against  us  from  gardens  and  embrasures, 
determined  to  draw  them  out  into  the  open  country  ;  and 
the  "  ruse  "  was  eminently  successful.  I  had  quietly  sent 
off  our  little  baggage  unperceived,  half  an  hour  before, 
so  that  I  was,  as  I  intended,  perfectly  free  and  unfettered 
by  impedimenta  of  any  sort.  I  then  quietly  and  gradually 
drew  off  troop  after  troop  into  the  open  plain  about  a  mile 
to  the  rear,  covering  the  movement  with  skirmishers. 
My  men,  new  as  well  as  old,  behaved  coolly  and  admira 
bly  throughout,  though  the  fire  was  very  annoying,  and  a 
retreat  is  always  discouraging,  even  when  you  have  an 
object  in  view.  My  officers,  fortunately  first-rate  ones, 
behaved  like  veterans,  and  everything  went  on  to  my 
complete  satisfaction.  Exactly  what  I  had  anticipated 
happened.  The  enemy  thought  we  were  bolting,  and 
came  on  in  crowds,  firing  and  yelling,  and  the  Sowars 
brandishing  their  swords  as  if  we  were  already  in  their 
hands,  when  suddenly  I  gave  the  order,  "  Threes  about, 
and  at  them."  The  men  obeyed  with  a  cheer  ;  the  effect 
was  electrical ;  never  was  such  a  scatter.  I  launched 
five  parties  at  them,  each  under  an  officer,  and  in  they 
went,  cutting  and  firing  into  the  very  thick  of  them. 
The  ground  was  very  wet,  and  a  ditch  favored  them,  but 
we  cut  down  upwards  of  fifty  in  as  many  seconds.  The 
remainder  flew  back  to  the  town,  as  if,  not  the  Guides 
and  Hodson's  Horse,  but  death  and  the  devil  were  at 
their  heels.  Their  very  numbers  encumbered  them,  and 
the  rout  was  most  complete.  Unfortunately  I  had  no 


THREE   DAYS   WORK.  311 

ammunition  left,  and  therefore  could  not  without  impru 
dence  remain  so  close  to  a  town  filled  with  matchlock  men, 
so  we  marched  quietly  round  to  the  north  of  the  town, 
and  encamped  near  the  first  friendly  village  we  came  to, 
which  we  reached  in  the  early  afternoon.  Our  success  was 
so  far  complete,  and  I  am  most  thankful  to  say  with  very 
trifling  loss,  only  two  men  rather  severely  wounded,  eight 
in  all  touched,  and  a  few  horses  hit.  Macdowell  did 
admirably,  as  indeed  did  all.  My  new  men,  utterly  un 
trained  as  they  are,  many  unable  to  ride  or  even  load 
their  carabines  properly,  yet  behaved  beyond  my  most 
sanguine  expectations,  for  a  first  field,  and  this  success, 
without  loss,  will  encourage  them  greatly. 

This  morning  I  was  joined  by  a  party  of  Jheend 
horse,  whom  my  good  friend  the  Rajah  sent  as  soon  as. 
he  heard  I  was  coming  Rohtuck-wards,  so  I  have  now 
400  horsemen,  more  or  less,  fresh  ammunition  having 
come  in  this  morning,  and  am  quite  independent.  I  hear 
also  that  the  General  has  at  my  recommendation  sent  out 
some  troops  in  this  direction  ;  if  so,  order  will  be  per 
manently  restored  in  this  district.  In  three  days  we 
have  frightened  away  and  demoralized  a  force  of  artil 
lery,  cavalry,  and  infantry  some  2,000  strong,  beat  those 
who  stood  or  returned  to  fight  us,  twice,  in  spite  of  num 
bers,  and  got  fed  and  furnished  forth  by  the  rascally  town 
itself.*  Moreover,  we  have  thoroughly  cowed  the  whole 

*  Extract  from  Letter  of  MAJOR-GENERAL  WILSON. 
"  The  Major-General  commanding  the  force  having  received  from 
Lieut.  Hodson  a  report  of  his  proceedings  and  operations  from  the 
14th,  when  he  left  camp,  till  his  return  on  the  24th,  has  much  pleas 
ure  in  expressing  to  that  officer  his  thanks  for  the  able  manner  in 
which  he  carried  out  the  instructions  given  him.  The  Major-Gen 
eral's  thanks  are  also  due  to  the  European  and  native  officers  and 
men  composing  the  detachment,  for  their  steady  and  gallant  behavior 


312  INDEFINITE  INSTRUCTIONS. 

neighborhood,  and  given  them  a  taste  of  what  more  they 
will  get  unless  they  keep  quiet  in  future.  We  count 
eighty-five  killed,  and  numbers  Avounded,  since  we  left 
Delhi,  which  is  one  good  result,  even  if  there  were  no 
other.  One  of  them  was  a  brute  of  the  14th  Irregular 
Cavalry,  who  committed  such  butchery  at  Jhansi.  No 
letters  have  reached  me  since  I  left  camp,  and  I  am  not 
sure  that  this  will  reach  there  safely.  It  is  a  terribly 
egotistical  detail,  and  I  am  thoroughly  ashamed  of  saying 
so  much  of  myself,  but  you  insisted  on  having  a  full, 
true,  and  particular  account,  so  do  not  think  me  vainglo 
rious. 

LURSOWLIE,  August  22d.  —  I  rode  over  to  this  place 
from  our  little  camp  at  Sonput,  eight  miles  off,  to  see 
Saunders  and  Colonel  Durnsford.  I  find  that  two  of 
my  new  troops  have  been  detained  on  the  road,  but  will 
reach  Delhi  in  a  day  or  two,  and  others  from  Lahore 
will  soon  arrive.  I  think  the  business  at  Rohtuck  has 
been  very  creditable  to  us,  but  I  can  write  no  more  than 
the  assurance  of  our  safety  and  well-being. 

CAMP,  SONPUT,  August  23d.  —  I  could  only  write  a 
few  hurried  lines  yesterday.  Late  in  the  evening  I  got 
a  note  from  General  Wilson,  desiring  me  to  look  out  for 
and  destroy  the  10th  Light  Cavalry  mutineers  from 
Ferozepoor.  He  authorized  my  proceeding  to  Jheend, 
but  without  going  through  the  Rohtuck  district.  Now, 
as  to  do  this  would  involve  an  immense  detour,  and  in 
sure  my  being  too  late,  and  consequently  having  a  long 
and  fatiguing  march  for  my  pains,  I  wrote  back  to  ex 
plain  this,  and  requested  more  definite  instructions.  He 

throughout  the  operations,  particularly  on  the  17th  and  18th  inst.,  at 
Kohtuck.  when  they  charged  and  dispersed  large  parties  of  horse  and 


GENERAL  JOHNSTON.  313 

must  either  say  distinctly  "  do  this  or  that,"  and  I  will  do 
it ;  or  he  must  give  me  carte  blanche  to  do  what  he  wants 
in  the  most  practicable  way,  of  which  I,  knowing  the 
country,  can  best  judge.  I  am  not  going  to  fag  my  men 
and  horses  to  death,  and  then  be  told  I  have  exceeded 
my  instructions.  He  gives  me  immense  credit  for  what 
I  have  done,  but  "  almost  wishes  I  had  not  ventured  so 
far."  The  old  gentleman  means  well,  but  does  not  un 
derstand  either  the  country  or  the  position  I  was  in,  nor 
does  he  appreciate  a  tenth  part  of  the  effects  which  our 
bold  stroke  at  Rohtuck,  forty-five  miles  from  camp,  has 
produced.  " N*importe"  they  will  find  it  out  sooner  or 
later.  I  hear  both  Chamberlain  and  Nicholson  took  my 
view  of  the  case,  and  supported  me  warmly. 

I  am  much  gratified  by  General  Johnstone's  exertions 
in  my  favor,  though  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea  that 
they  will  eventuate  in  anything ;  but  the  motive  is  the 
same.  Let  me  do  what  I  will,  I  have  made  up  my  mind 
to  gain  nothing  but  the  approval  of  my  own  conscience. 
I  foresee  that  I  shall  remain  a  subaltern,  and  the  easy 
going  majors  of  brigade,  aides-de-camp,  and  staff-officers 
will  all  get  brevets,  C.  B.'s,  &c.,  for  simply  living  in 
camp,  and  doing  their  simple  duties  mildly  and  without' 
exertion.  The  Victoria  Cross,  I  confess,  is  the  highest 
object  of  my  ambition,  and  had  I  been  one  of  fortune's 
favorites  I  should  have  had  it  ere  now  even,  but  I  have 
learnt  experience  in  a  rough  school  and  am  prepared  for 
the  worst ;  but  whether  a  lieutenant  or  lieutenant-gen 
eral,  I  trust  I  shall  continue  to  do  my  duty,  to  the  best 
of  rny  judgment  and  ability,  as  long  as  strength  and 
sense  are  vouchsafed  to  me. 

CAMP,  DELHI,  August   24th.  —  I    returned    here  this 
morning  at  2  p.  M.,  very  tired  and  unwell,  and  not  able 

14 


314  DOCTOR  CHARLES. 

to  write  much,  for  I  have  been  obliged  to  have  recourse 
to  the  doctor. 

People  have  got  an  absurd  story  about  ray  being  shut 
up  in  a  fort,  without  food  or  chance  of  escape !  The 
General's  aide-de-camp  tells  me  the  old  man  believed 
this  ridiculous  report  and  was  fairly  frightened,  getting 
no  sleep  for  two  nights.  However,  he  fully  admits  the 
good  service  we  have  rendered,  and  every  one  is  making 
a  talk  and  fuss  about  it,  —  as  if  success  were  uncommon  ! 
I  find  strong  hopes  of  our  making  an  assault  on  the  city 
as  soon  as  the  siege  train  arrives,  which  will  be  in  about 
thirteen  days.  Havelock  seems  unable  or  unwilling  to 
move  on,  but  we  can  hardly  want  him,  for  surely  we 
shall  have  ample  means  for  taking  the  city  shortly. 

I  am  to  have  a  surgeon  attached  to  my  regiment  at 
once,  as  I  represented  how  cruel  it  was  to  send  us  out 
on  an  expedition  without  a  doctor  or  a  grain  of  medicine. 
We  had  eight  wounded  men,  and  two  officers  had  fever 
on  the  road,  and  nothing  but  the  most  primitive  means 
of  relieving  them.  I  asked  for  Dr.  Charles,  but  there 
are  so  many  senior  to  him  waiting  for  a  turn,  that  I 
must  be  content  for  the  present  with  what  I  can  get.  I 
hope,  however,  to  have  Charles  ultimately,  for  he  is  skil 
ful,  clever,  a  gentleman,  and  a  Christian. 

Nicholson  has  just  gone  out  to  look  after  a  party  of 
the  enemy  with  twelve  guns,  who  had  moved  out  yester 
day  towards  Nujjufghur,  threatening  to  get  into  our  rear. 
I  wanted  to  have  gone  with  him,  but  I  was  laughingly 
told  to  stay  at  home  and  nurse  myself,  and  let  some  one 
else  have  a  chance  of  doing  good  service.  This  was  too 
bad,  especially  as  Nicholson  wished  me  to  go. 

26th.  —  It  is  4  P.  M.,  and  I  am  only  just  free  from 
people  and  papers,  but  good  news  must  make  up  for 


BATTLE   OF  NUJJUFGHUR.  315 

brevity.  General  Nicholson  has  beaten  the  enemy  glo 
riously  at  Nujjufghur,  whither  he  pushed  on  last  evening. 
He  has  taken  thirteen  guns,  and  all  the  camp  equipage 
and  property.  Our  loss  was  small  for  the  gain,  but  two 
of  the  killed  were  officers,  —  young  Lumsden  of  Coke's 
Corps,  a  most  promising  fellow,  and  Dr.  Ireland.  The 
victory  is  a  great  one,  and  will  shake  the  Pandies'  nerves, 
I  calculate.  All  their  shot  and  ammunition  were  also 
captured.  The  1st  Fusileers  were  as  usual  "  to  the 
fore,"  and  did  well  equally  as  usual.  I  am  much  disap 
pointed  at  not  having  been  there,  but  Mactier  would  not 
hear  of  it,  as  the  weather  was  bad,  and  I  should  have  run 
the  risk  of  another  attack  of  dysentery,  from  which  I 
had  been  suffering.  I  am  half  annoyed,  half  amused  at 
the  absurd  stories  about  the  Rohtuck  business.  We  were 
never  in  any  extremity  whatever,  nor  did  I  ever  feel 
the  slightest  anxiety,  or  cease  to  feel  that  I  was  master 
of  the  situation.  Danger  there  must  always  be  in  war, 
but  none  of  our  own  creating,  as  the  fools  and  fearful 
said,  ever  existed ;  would  that  folks  would  be  contented 
with  the  truth  and  reality  of  our  position,  and  not  add  to 
its  desagremens  by  idle  fears  and  false  inventions. 

27th.  —  I  have  been  up  to  my  eyes  in  work  all  day 
again,  and  not  had  the  pen  out  of  my  hand  all  day, 
except  when  on  horseback  with  the  men.  Two  troops 
arrived  yesterday,  and  I  have  250  spare  horses  to  mount 
them,  so  that  we  are  getting  on  by  degrees.  Such  an 
experiment  as  raising  a  regiment  actually  in  camp  on 
active  (and  very  active)  service,  was  never  tried  before. 

I  most  decidedly  object  and  refuse  to  allow  Mr. 

to  publish  any  extracts  whatever  from  my  letters.  I  say 
nothing  that  I  am  ashamed  of,  nothing  that  is  not  strictly 
true,  but  my  remarks  on  men  and  measures,  however 


316  TERMS   REFUSED. 

just,  would  make  me  many  enemies,  and  my  misfortunes 
have  taught  me,  though  I  may  not  condescend  to  concil 
iate,  at  least  to  do  nothing  to  offend.  If,  however,  it  will 
be  any  amusement  to  the  loved  ones  at  home  to  have 
some  true  sketches  of  this  lamentable  siege,  and  the 
progress  in  it  of  one  dear  to  them,  that  is  quite  another 
affair,  and  1  confess  I  should  like  to  have  some  such 
references  myself  to  look  over  hereafter. 

28th.  —  I  am  somewhat  surprised  at  not  hearing  from 
Agra,  but  I  cannot  be  sure  that  my  letter  reached  there, 
as  several  of  the  "  Kossids  "  have  been  "  scragged  "  on  the 
road.  Sir  P.  Grant  will  not  have  a  long  course  to  run, 
as  Sir  C.  Campbell  has  been  sent  out  to  command,  and  is 
in  India,  I  fancy,  by  this  time.  Havelock,  we  hear,  has 
retreated,  leaving  Lucknow  still  unrelieved.  I  cannot 
understand  this,  but  we  have  not  sufficient  information  to 
enable  us  to  judge.  After  all,  Nicholson  is  the  General 
after  my  heart. 

29th.  —  I  have  just  returned  from  a  ride  of  twelve 
hours,  leaving  camp  at  three  A.  M.,  on  a  reconnoitring 
expedition,  and  have  only  time  before  the  dak  closes  to 
say  that  I  am  safe  and  well.  I  found  no  enemy,  and 
everything  quiet  in  the  direction  of  Nujjufghur,  where 
I  was  to-day,  over  and  beyond  Nicholson's  field  of  battle 
of  the  25th. 

30^.  —  I  have  been  writing  and  listening  all  this 
morning  till  I  am  tired,  a  man  having  come  in  from 
Delhi,  with  much  assurance  and  great  promises ;  but  he 
was  sent  back  rather  humbler  than  he  came,  for  he  fan 
cied  he  should  make  terms,  and  could  not  get  a  single- 
promise  of  even  bare  life  for  any  one,  from  the  King 
downwards.  If  I  get  into  the  palace,  the  house  of  Timur 
will  not  be  worth  five  minutes'  purchase,  I  ween;  but 


INSURGENTS   COLLECTING.  317 

what  my  share  in  this  work  will  be,  no  one  can  say,  as 
there  will  be  little  work  for  horsemen,  and  I  do  not  now 
command  any  infantry  to  give  me  an  excuse.  I  hope 
Sir  C.  Campbell  will  be  here  to  lead  us  into  the  city, 
which  seems  probable  at  our  present  rate  of  no-progress. 
He  is  a  very  good  man  for  the  post  of  Commander-in- 
Chief,  as  he  has  had  great  experience  in  India  and  else 
where,  and  that,  recent  experience.  Mansfield  comes  out 
with  him  as  chief  of  the  staff,  with  the  rank  of  Major- 
General. 

31st.  —  I  have  little  public  news  for  you;  all  is  ex 
pected  here.  The  siege  train  will  be  in  by  the  3d  or 
4th,  I  fancy,  and  then  I  trust  there  will  be  no  more 
waiting. 

The  letters  from  Agra  show  that  a  much  greater  and 
more  formidable  amount  of  insurrection  exists  than  we 
were  prepared  to  believe.  Large  bodies  of  insurgents 
have  collected  in  different  places  all  over  the  country,  all 
well  supplied  with  arms  and  guns.  These  are  under  the 
orders  of  different  Nawabs,  Rajahs,  and  big  men,  who 
think  that  now  is  their  time  for  rule.  None  of  these  will 
be  formidable  as  soon  as  the  army  is  disposed  of,  but  for 
a  long  time  to  come  we  shall  have  marching  and  fighting, 
punishing  and  dispersing,  and  it  is  to  be  expected  that 
bodies  of  the  fugitives  from  Delhi  will  join  the  standards 
of  these  insurgent  leaders,  and  give  us  trouble  here  and 
there.  The  fall  of  Delhi  will  not  be  the  end,  but  rather 
the  beginning  of  a  new  campaign  in  the  field ;  but  the 
very  day  the  active  portion  of  the  work  is  over,  I  shall 
ask  to  go  to  some  good  station,  and  organize  and  disci 
pline  my  regiment,  and  get  it  properly  equipped,  and  fit 
for  service.  At  present  it  is  merely  an  aggregation 
of  untutored  horsemen,  ill-equipped,  half  clothed,  badly 


318  RAISING   REGIMENT   FOR   SERVICE. 

provided  with  everything,  quite  unfit  for  service  in  the 
usual  sense  of  the  term,  and  only  forced  into  the  field 
because  I  have  willed  that  it  shall  be  so ;  but  it  would 
take  six  months'  constant  work  to  fit  it  properly  for  ser 
vice.  Generally  when  a  regiment  is  raised,  it  is  left 
quietly  at  one  station  until  the  commanding  officer  reports 
it  "  fit  for  service,"  and  it  has  been  inspected  and  re 
ported  upon  by  a  general  officer,  when  it  is  brought  "  on 
duty"  by  order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief.  My  idea 
of  being  able  to  raise  a  regiment  when  in  the  field,  and 
on  actual,  and  very  active  service,  was  ridiculed  and 
pooh-poohed,  but  I  stuck  to  it  that  it  could  be  done,  and 
General  Anson  was  only  too  willing  I  should  try,  hitherto 
with  success,  and  with  the  considerable  gain,  to  an  army 
deficient  in  cavalry,  of  having  a  good  body  of  horsemen 
brought  at  once  on  duty  in  the  field.  How  long  it  may 
be  before  I  am  able  to  get  to  a  quiet  station  for  the  pur 
pose  required,  it  is  impossible  to  foresee.  I  shall  try  to 
get  sent  to  Umbala,  or  as  near  the  Punjaub  as  possible, 
because  my  men  are  all  drawn  from  thence,  and  it  will 
be  easier  to  recruit,  than  at  a  greater  distance  from  Sikh- 
land.  I  have  got  six  full  troops,  and  another  is  on  its 
way  down. 

September  1st.  —  This  is  muster-day,  and  a  very  busy 
one  to  me,  but  I  have  written  a  minute  letter  to  go  by 
Kossid  to  Agra  once  more.  The  poor  wretch  who  took 
my  last  was  murdered  on  the  road,  so  of  course,  the  letter 
never  reached  Agra.  The  dak  by  Meerut  is  again  sus 
pended,  so  we  can  only  send  by  Kossid.  I  have  to-day 
got  a  new  subaltern,  a  Mr.  Baker,  of  the  late  60th  Native 
Infantry,  and  a  doctor,  so  we  are  seven  in  all.  I  could 
not  succeed  in  getting  Dr.  Charles  just  yet,  but  hope  to 
do  so  eventually.  Little  Nusrut  Jung  has  been  allowed 


"  HODSON'S  HORSE."  319 

to  come  to  me  from  the  Guides,  and  I  have  made  him  a 
jemadar  at  once.  It  is  astonishing  how  well  he  reads  and 
remembers  English.  The  Testament  you  gave  him  is  his 
constant  companion,  he  tells  me,  and  he  is  as  interested 
as  ever  in  the  history  of  "  our  wonderful  prophet."  The 
Persians  are  certainly  a  very  intelligent  race,  this  one 
particularly  so,  and  the  seeds  you  have  sown  will  surely 
bring  forth  fruit  to  his  eternal  benefit  hereafter.  More 
than  half  the  Guides  want  to  come  to  my  new  corps,  but 
this  is  of  course  out  of  the  question.  I  am  sending  for 
Ileratees  and  Candaharees,  the  farther  from  Hindostan 
the  better.  Mr.  Ricketts,  too,  is  collecting  men  from  his 
district.  I  have  at  present  200  spare  horses,  but  as  I  am 
to  raise  1,200  or  1,400  men,  I  fear  mounting  them  will  be 
a  difficulty  ;  it  is  very  difficult  to  work  in  a  camp  on  ser 
vice  where  so  little  can  be  got  or  bought.  Here  come 
more  news-letters  from  the  city,  and  myriads  of  notes, 
besides  post-time  and  parade,  all  at  once !  I  shall  be 
glad  when  Delhi  falls,  and  I  cease  to  be  Times,  Morning 
Chronicle,  and  Post,  all  in  one  !  * 

2d.  —  ...  "  Hodson's  Horse  "  made  a  very  respectable 
show  indeed  last  evening,  when  paraded  all  together  for 
the  first  time,  and  I  was  much  complimented  on  my  suc 
cess  ;  there  are  some  in  the  last  batch  from  Lahore  whom 
I  shall  ultimately  get  rid  of,  wild  low-caste  fellows,  and 
they  did  not  behave  very  well  the  other  day  at  the  Ravee 
with  Nicholson ;  but,  taken  altogether,  I  am  very  well 
satisfied,  and  trust  they  will  eventually  turn  out  well,  and 
do  credit  to  the  hard  work  I  have  with  them.  Colonel 
Seaton  is  better,  — -  i.  e.,  his  wound  is  healed,  —  but  he 
suffers  much  pain  from  the  tender  state  of  the  scarce 

*  Referring  to  his  charge  of  the  Intelligence  Department. 


320  SICKNESS  IN   CAMP. 

united  muscles  when  lie  moves.  The  weather  is  very 
trying  just  now,  and  very  unhealthy.  Poor  Macdowell 
is  unwell,  and  I  fear  he  will  have  to  go  away  sick  ;  he  is 
far  from  strong,  which  is  his  only  fault,  poor  boy.  I  like 
him  increasingly,  he  is  a  thorough  gentleman.  For  my 
self,  I  am  wonderfully  well,  that  is,  as  well  as  most  in 
camp,  though  somewhat  pulled  down  by  heat,  fatigue, 
and  dysentery,  and  I  am  literally  one  of  the  "  lean  kine." 
All  is  quite  quiet  here ;  only  a  few  occasional  shots  from 
the  batteries.  The  Pandies  are  quarrelling  among  them 
selves,  and  are  without  money ;  they  cannot  hold  together 
much  longer,  and  I  fear  will  break  up  if  we  do  not  speed 
ily  take  the  place.  Only  a  chosen  band  (!)  will  rally 
round  the  King,  who,  after  all,  is  but  a  name,  for  his  vil- 
lanous  sons  are  the  real  leaders.  The  train  is  to  be  here 
to-morrow  or  next  day,  and  56  guns  are  to  open  on  the 
walls  at  once.  We  hear  that  Captain  Peel,  of  Crimean 
celebrity,  is  on  his  way  up  to  Allahabad,  with  a  naval 
brigade  and  some  sixty-eight  pounders  from  his  ship  The 
Shannon.  Glorious,  this.  Surely  with  the  brave  little 
army  which  has  withstood  all  (and  none  but  ourselves 
can  know  what  that  "  all "  comprises)  the  trials  of  these 
last  months,  and  our  own  brave  "  tars,"  we  shall  speedily 
conquer  this  rebellious  city,  and  make  the  last  of  the 
house  of  Timur  %eat  dirt." 

September  3d.  —  Nothing  is  going  on  here  of  public 
importance,  and  everything  is  stagnant,  save  the  hand  of 
the  destroying  angel  of  sickness  ;  we  have  at  this  moment 
2,500  in  hospital,  of  whom  1,100  are  Europeans,  out  of 
a  total  of  5,000  men  (Europeans),  and  yet  our  General 
waits  and  waits  for  this  and  that  arrival,  forgetful  that 
each  succeeding  day  diminishes  his  force  by  more  than 
the  strength  of  the  expected  driblets.  He  talks  now  of 


OBJECTIONS   TO   PUBLISHING.  321 

awaiting  the  arrival  of  three  weak  regiments  of  Ghoo- 
lab  Singh's  force  under  Richard  Lawrence,  who  are 
marching  from  Umbala.  Before  they  arrive,  if  the  Gen 
eral  really  does  wait  for  them,  we  shall  have  an  equiva 
lent  to  their  numbers  sickened  and  dying  from  the  delay 
in  this  plague  spot.  "  Delhi  in  September  "  is  proverbial, 
and  this  year  we  seem  likely  to  realize  its  full  horrors. 
The  train  will  be  here  to-morrow  or  next  day,  and  I  hope 
our  General  will  not  lose  a  day  after  that.  He  is  a  good 
artillery  officer,  with  an  undue  estimate  of  his  own  arm 
of  the  service.  He  seems  to  realize  the  old  saying,  that 
officers  of  a  "  special  arm,"  such  as  artillery  and  engi 
neers,  do  not  make  generals.  Wilson,  for  instance,  looks 
upon  guns  as  engines  capable  mathematically  of  perform 
ing  perfect  results,  and  acts  as  cautiously  as  if  in  practice 
such  results  were  ever  attained  by  Asiatic  gunners,  for 
getting  all  our  glorious  Indian  annals,  all  the  experience 
of  a  British  army,  and  hesitating  before  an  Indian  foe ! 
I  never  hear  these  old  gentlemen  talk  without  thinking 
of  Sir  Charles  Napier's  remarks  on  the  Duke's  comments 
on  "  Colonel  Monson's  retreat,"  and  the  heroic  way  in 
which  he  had  read  and  profited  by  the  lesson. 

As  to  the  extracts  from  my  letters  which  Mr.  B 

has  asked  for,  I  must  decidedly  refuse  ;  even  supposing 
them  to  be  of  the  importance  which  he  professes  to  con 
sider  them,  there  is  a  vast  distinction  between  my  pub 
lishing,  or  allowing  to  be  published,  my  letters,  and 
letting  my  friends  read  or  make  use  of  them.  I  am  per 
fectly  at  liberty  to  write  and  speak  freely  to  my  friends, 
and  they  may  show  such  parts  of  my  letters  as  they  think 
fit,  to  men  in  power  and  in  Parliament;  and  these  may 
again  make  use,  in  debate  or  in  council,  of  knowledge 
thus  gained,  and  details  thus  imparted,  which  would  be 

14* 


322  HARD-WORKED. 

otherwise  beyond  their  reach.  All  this  is  right,  fair,  and 
of  every-day  occurrence  ;  but  I  myself,  as  a  military  offi 
cer,  have  no  right  to  publish,  or  permit  to  be  published, 
comments  written,  in  the  freedom  of  private  correspond 
ence,  on  my  superiors,  their  acts,  and  proceedings. 

I  have  not  the  smallest  objection  to  any  of  our  friends 
seeing  my  written  opinions,  provided  they  know  them  to 
be  extracted  from  private  letters,  and  never  intended  for 
publication.  I  have  no  objection  to  Lord  William  Hay 
sending  a  copy,  if  he  chooses,  to  Lord  Dalhousie,  or  Lord 
Ellenborough  himself  even  ;  but  I  cannot  give  permission 
to  any  one  to  publish  what  would  be  so  injurious  to  my 
interests.  You  will  think  I  have  grown  strangely  worldly- 
wise  ;  but  have  I  not  had  bitter  experience  ? 

September  kth.  —  There  is  nothing  to  tell  of  public 
news,  and  even  if  there  were  I  have  no  time  to  tell  it, 
for  I  am  very  busy  and  hard-worked,  and  only  too  thank 
ful  to  get  a  few  minutes  to  say  I  am  safe  and  well.  I 
have  never  written  of  public  matters  except  as  regarded 
mys'elf.  As  to  the  stories  about  me  at  Rohtuck,  the 
papers  have  repeatedly  published  the  true  as  well  as  the 
false  version  of  the  tale,  —  even  the  Lahore  Chronicle 
got  it  pretty  correctly ;  and  after  all,  it  is  of  very  little 
consequence  what  the  papers  say  as  long  as  the  correct 
version  goes  to  Government  and  my  friends.  I  sincerely 
trust  we  shall  be  in  Delhi  before  the  15th. 

September  5th.  —  Poor  Macdowell  has  had  a  bad  attack 
of  fever,  which  has  brought  him  very  low.  He  will  have 
to  go  to  the  hills,  I  very  much  fear.  The  amount  of 
sickness  is  terrible  ;  we  have  2,500  men  in  hospital,  and 
numbers  of  officers  besides.  Another  of  the  61st,  Mr. 
Tyler,  died  of  cholera  to-day.  I  would  give  a  great  deal 
to  get  away,  if  but  for  a  week,  but  I  must  go  where  I 


HOME.  323 

can  do  most  towards  avenging  the  past,  and  securing  our 
common  safety  for  the  future.  No  arrangements  are 
making  for  any  movements  after  the  capture  of  Delhi ; 
we  sadly  want  a  head  over  us. 

September  6th.  —  To-night  I  believe  the  engineers  are 
really  to  begin  work  constructing  batteries,  so  that  in  two 
or  three  days  Delhi  ought  to  be  taken.  If  General  Wil 
son  delays  now,  he  will  have  nothing  left  to  take  ;  all  the 
Sepoys  will  be  off  to  their  homes,  or  into  Rohilcund,  or 
into  Gwalior.  News  from  Cawnpore  to  25th  August  has 
been  received.  Up  to  that  date  Lucknow  was  safe,  but 
with  only  fifteen  days'  provisions  left  ;  and  apparently  no 
vigorous  measures  being  taken  to  relieve  the  place. 
Havelock  has  not  enough  men,  he  says  ;  and  report  adds 
that  the  Governor-General  has  forbidden  other  regiments 
to  move  on,  wishing  to  keep  them  at  Benares  to  cover 
Calcutta.  This  appears  incredible.  The  Sepoys  in 
Delhi  are  in  hourly  expectation  of  our  attack,  and  the 
cavalry  keep  their  horses  saddled  night  and  day,  ready  to 
bolt  at  a  moment's  notice,  —  so  say  the  news-letters.  I 
suspect  that,  the  moment  we  make  an  attack  in  earnest, 
the  rebel  force  will  disappear.  Of  public  news  I  have 
none  beyond  this,  and  I  am  still,  like  every  one  else,  in 
the  dark  as  to  what  we  do  after  Delhi  is  taken,  or  where 
and  when  we  go.  If  the  campaign  lasts  very  long  I  shall 
be  forced  to  go  home  next  year,  for  even  my  health  will 
not  stand  against  many  more  months  of  wear  and  tear 
like  the  last.  Yet  who  can  say  what  even  a  day  may 
bring  forth,  or  can  venture  to  make  plans  for  a  future 
year,  after  the  experiences  of  the  last  ?  God's  merciful 
providence  has  hitherto  preserved  me  most  wonderfully 
from  myriads  of  no  common  dangers,  and  I  humbly  pray 
that  I  may  be  spared  to  see  my  home,  and  those  who 


324  ATTACK   ON   LUCKNOW. 

make  home  so  dear,  once  more.  Home,  altered  and 
bereaved  as  it  is  since  I  left  it,  still  holds  the  precious 
sisters  and  brothers  of  the  past,  and  the  bright  new  gen 
eration  with  whom  I  long  to  make  acquaintance. 

September  1th.  —  News  has  just  been  received  up  to 
the  27th  from  Cawnpore  :  the  garrison  in  Lucknow  had 
been  attacked  by  the  enemy  in  vast  numbers,  headed  by 
a  lot  of  "  Ghazees."  They  were  repulsed  with  such 
severe  loss  that  the  enemy  would  not  venture  to  try  that 
game  again,  were  the  siege  to  be  protracted  for  two 
years  ;  they  say  150  Ghazees,  and  between  400  and  500 
Sepoys  were  killed.  Colonel  Otter  was  appointed  com 
mandant  of  Allahabad,  at  which  I  rejoice,  for  he  will 
"  come  out  strong  "  whenever  he  has  a  chance.  One  of 
our  batteries  was  armed  (i.  e.,  guns  put  into  it)  last 
night,  and  the  bigger  one  will  be  made  to-night ;  so  that 
by  the  9th  I  trust  Delhi  will  be  ours. 

September  8th.  —  To-day  two  new  batteries,  constructed 
during  the  night  for  the  heavy  guns,  opened  on  the  walls 
and  bastions  of  the  city,  and  the  cannonade  on  both  sides 
has  been  very  heavy  ;  to-morrow  other  batteries  will  be 
ready,  and  on  the  following  day  fifty  guns,  I  trust,  will 
be  at  work  on  the  doomed  city.  Very  little  loss  was 
experienced  during  the  night,  only  two  men  being  hit ; 
and  the  casualties  to-day  have  been  surprisingly  few. 
I  cannot  believe  there  will  be  any  serious  resistance 
when  once  the  enemy's  guns  are  silenced.  There  is  at 
present  nothing  to  lead  one  to  suppose  that  the  enemy 
have  any  intention  of  fighting  it  out  in  the  city,  after  we 
have  entered  the  breach.  All,  I  fancy,  who  can,  will  be 
off  as  soon  as  we  are  within  the  walls.  The  General  has 
not  decided  yet  on  the  operations  which  are  to  succeed 
Delhi ;  he  says  he  shall  send  a  strong  column  in  pursuit, 


SIR   COLIN  CAMPBELL  IN  CALCUTTA.  325 

which  I  hope  will  be  under  Nicholson,  but  he  has  not 
settled  who  is  to  go,  or  who  to  stay.  I  trust  I  may  be 
among  the  pursuers.  I  am  constantly  interrupted  by 
business,  and  the  necessity  of  watching  the  enemy,  lest 
any  attempt  should  be  made  to  turn  our  flank  while  we 
are  busied  with  the  batteries  in  front.  For  myself,  I  am 
not  necessarily  much  exposed  to  fire,  except  every  now 
and  then ;  I  never  run  into  danger  unless  obliged  to  do 
so  for  some  rightful  purpose,  and  where  duty  and  honor 
call. 

Sept.  Stk.  — ...  To  descend  to  life's  hard  struggle  ; 
our  guns  are  blazing  away,  but  only  in  partial  numbers 
as  yet,  the  work  having  been  necessarily  distributed  over 
two  nights  instead  of  one.  The  garrison  at  Lucknow  is 
all  well,  and  likely  to  continue  so,  for  they  have  plenty 
of  wheat,  though  no  European  supplies.  However, 
British  soldiers  have  worked  and  fought  on  bread  and 
water  ere  now,  and  will  do  it  again ;  and  I  have  no  doubt 
the  gallant  32d  will  keep  up  their  spirit  and  their  fame. 
Reinforcements  were  reaching  Cawnpore,  and  Sir  J. 
Otitrarn  was  on  his  way  up  with  1,500  more  soldiers  and 
some  artillery.  Cholera,  their  worst  enemy,  had  disap 
peared,  and  their  communication  with  Calcutta  was  quite 
open.  Sir  Colin  had  reached  Calcutta,  and  taken  com 
mand  of  the  army.  I  do  hope  he  will  come  up  country 
at  once,  and  Colonel  Napier  with  him.  Poor  Alfred 
Light,  after  five  weeks'  severe  illness,  leaves  to-night  for 
the  hills,  to  save  his  life.  Hay  has  been  written  to,  to 
take  him  in  ;  if  he  cannot,  I  am  sure  you  will  do  so. 
Poor  fellow  !  I  have  a  real  regard  for  him,  and  it  is  a 
terrible  disappointment  that  he  cannot  be  at  the  actual 
taking  of  Delhi,  having  been  so  long  before  the  walls. 
Sickness  is  terribly  on  the  increase,  and  Wilson  talks  of 


326  TRENCHES. 

getting  into  Delhi  on  the  21st,  If  the  sickness  does  in 
crease  he  wont  have  a  sound  man  left  by  the  21st. 

I  was  up  till  2  A.  M.  in  the  trenches,  examining  the 
work,  and  helping  what  little  I  could,*  and  almost  ever 
since  I  have  been  on  horseback,  and  a  terrible  hot  day  it 
has  been  in  all  ways.  Some  of  the  enemy's  horse  came 
out  and  began  to  poach  on  our  preserves,  and  I  had  to  go 
after  them  ;  they  are  such  essential  cowards  that  it  is  im 
possible  to  bring  them  to  a  regular  fight ;  they  will  not 
come  from  within  reach  of  their  shelter,  running  off  at 
once  to  cover,  where  it  would  be  madness  to  go  after 
them.  The  new  batteries  did  not  begin  to-day,  after  all ; 
they  were  not  quite  ready,  and  the  engineers  would  not 
let  them  open  fire.  ...  I  am  very  much  pleased 
with 's  letter,  and  rejoice  that  he  is  out  on  an  ex 
pedition  ;  the  change  of  air  will  do  him  good  after  that 
frightful  cholera.  His  story  t  of  the  soldier  might  be 
matched  by  many  a  rough  compliment  I  get  from  the 
men  of  the  1st  Fusileers  ;  the  most  genuine  perhaps,  cer 
tainly  the  most  grateful  to  my  feelings,  of  any  I  receive  ; 
a  soldier  is  generally  the  best  and  shrewdest  judge  of  an 
officer's  qualifications. 

September  11th.  —  There  is  no  public  news,  except  that 
the  batteries  are  working  away  at  the  walls  ;  but  our  en- 

*  An  artillery  officer  told  me  of  my  brother,  that  even  when  he 
might  have  taken  rest  he  would  not;  but  instead,  would  go  and  help 
work  at  the  batteries,  and  exposed  himself  constantly  in  order  to  re 
lieve  some  fainting  gunner  or  wounded  man.  —  Ed. 

t  The  story  referred  to  was  told  by  an  officer:  visiting  the  sick  in 
hospital  in  the  fort  at  Agra,  he  asked  a  man,  severely  wounded,  whether 
he  could  do  anything  for  him.  "  Oh  yes,  sir,"  was  the  answer,  "  if  you 
would  be  so  good  as  to  read  us  anything  in  the  papers  about  that  Cap 
tain  Hodson ;  he's  always  doing  something  to  make  us  proud  of  our 
country,  and  of  belonging  to  the  same  service  as  that  noble  fellow ;  it 
makes  one  forget  the  pain." 


UNHEALTHY   SPOT.  327 

gineers  have  failed  terribly  in  their  estimate  of  the  time 
required  for  the  works,  arid  all  the  batteries  are  even  yet 
not  finished.  It  is  now,  however,  only  a  question  of  days, 
one  or  two  more  or  less,  and  Delhi  must  be  ours.  I  shall 
be  very  thankful  to  get  away  from  here..  I  look  upon 
this  as  the  very  worst  climate  I  have  ever  been  in,  and 
another  month  would  make  us  all  ill.  Another  of  rny 
officers,  Captain  Ward,  is  very  ill,  and  two  more  are  ail 
ing.  Macdowell,  I  am  thankful  to  say,  is  a  little  better. 
The  natives,  too,  are  very  sick,  and  a  large  number  are 
in  hospital ;  in  short,  we  want  to  be  in  Delhi. 

September  12th.  —  I  was  interrupted  in  the  midst  of  my 
pen-work  this  morning  by  an  alarm  (which  proved  to  be 
a  false  one)  of  an  attack  of  cavalry  on  our  rear ;  it  turned 
us  all  out,  and  kept  me  in  the  saddle  till  now,  5  p.  M.,  so 
I  can  only  say  I  am  safe  and  unhurt.  I  trust  in  three 
days  Delhi  will  be  ours.  I  fancy  my  share  in  the  assault 
will  be  one  of  duty  rather  than  of  danger.  The  cavalry 
have  but  small  work  on  these  occasions.  I  cannot  yet 
tell  what  will  occur  after  the  capture.  I  fancy  a  column 
under  Nicholson  will  be  pushed  on  to  Agra  or  Cawnpore, 
and  I  hope  my  regiment  will  be  of  the  party. 

September  13th.  —  I  find  I  am  to  accompany  Nichol 
son's  column  at  his  own  request,  but  where  we  are  to  go 
is  unknown  ;  whether  in  pursuit  of  the  rebels  who  are 
fast  evacuating  Delhi,  or  towards  Agra,  we  know  not ; 
Nicholson  strongly  urges  the  former.  I  am  very  glad  for 
my  own  sake  that  I  am  to  go  on,  for  this  place  is  dread 
fully  unhealthy,  and  I  feel  that  I  shall  certainly  be  ill  if  I 
remain  here  much  longer.  In  fact,  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  not  to  remain  if  possible,  and  when  Nicholson  urged 
my  going  on  with  him  I  was  only  too  ready  to  second  the 
motion,  for  I  am  able  to  work  and  to  fight,  and  I  must  do 


328  THE   ASSAULT. 

so  as  long  as  I  can.  Some  of  the  Gwalior  troops  have 
crossed  the  Churabul  River,  and  are  supposed  to  be 
threatening  Agra.  However,  the  fall  of  Delhi  will  make 
every  difference  in  their  proceedings,  and  show  them  that 
we  can  do  something,  though  so  late  ;  we  are  looking  for 
ward  to  a  little  "  active  service  "  to-morrow  ;  may  God 
grant  success  to  our  arms,  and  safety  to  our  brave  band 
as  much  as  may  be. 

September  15th.  —  I  was  totally  unable  to  leave  the 
field  yesterday  until  dark,  and  long  after  post-time,  but  I 
ascertained  that  a  telegraphic  message  was  sent  to  Simla. 
I  sent  one  up  as  soon  as  possible,  for  transmission  to  you 
through  Lord  W.  Hay,  but  Colonel  Becher  had  fore 
stalled  me.  .  .  .  The  breaches  made  by  our  artillery 
were  successfully  stormed  early  in  the  morning,  with  but 
little  loss  then ;  our  loss,  subsequently,  however,  I  grieve 
to  say,  was  most  distressing,  and  that,  in  attempting  un 
successfully  the  capture  of  the  Puhareepore  and  Kishen- 
gunge  suburbs.  The  wrhole  extent  of  our  loss  is  not 
yet  known,  but  that  already  ascertained  is  grievous  to  a 
degree.  First,  poor  Nicholson  most  dangerously  wound 
ed,  at  a  time,  too,  when  his  services  were  beyond  expres 
sion  valuable.*  The  1st  European  Bengal  Fusileers  was 

*  The  following  account  of  the  assault,  by  an  officer  of  the  1st 
European  Bengal  Fusileers,  will  supply  many  particulars  of  inter 
est:— 

"  At  2  o'clock  A.  M.  we  formed  in  front  of  our  camp  250  sti-ong,  and 
marched  down  to  Ludlow  Castle,  which  we  reached  about  daybreak. 
There  we  paused  some  time  to  receive  our  ladders,  and  advanced  at 
sunrise  to  the  assault.  Every  man  felt  this  day  would  repay  him  for 
four  months  of  hard  knocks,  and  that  we  should  give  the  murderous 
ruffians  a  wholesome  lesson,  and  teach  them  that  a  hand-to-hand 
struggle  with  armed  men  was  quite  another  affair  to  one  with  defence 
less  women  and  children.  We  cross' the  glacis,  the  fire  is  hot;  de 
scend  and  reascend  the  ditch,  mount  the  berme  and  escalade.  Hark ! 


ACCOUNT   OF   THE   ASSAULT.  329 

the  most  tried,  and  suffered  out  of  all  proportion,  save  in 
the  especial  case  of  the  Engineers,  of  whom  ten,  out 
of  the  seventeen  engaged,  have  been  killed  or  wounded. 

what  noise  is  that?  not  the  Sepoy's  war-cry  'Bum,  Bum  ram,  ram, 
Oh  King'  for  which  you  are  intently  listening;  but  the  wild,  thrilling 
cheer  of  the  British,  which  announces  to  friend  and  foe  that  the  ram 
parts  are  won.  We  descend  and  meet  in  the  Cashmere  Bastion,  and- 
are  astonished  at  our  rapid  success.  A  general  shaking  of  hands 
takes  place.  '  Oh,  General,  is  that  you?  '  '  Paddy,  my  boy,  how  are 
you  ? '  these  and  such  like  greetings  take  place,  whilst  the  different 
regiments  form.  We  moved  out  rapidly  and  stormed  the  church  and 
adjacent  buildings,  and  killed  a  number  of  Sepoys  as  they  retreated 
from  the  Water  Bastion.  After  this,  we  proceeded  round  the  ram 
parts  to  our  right  without  very  much  opposition,  and  halted  at  the 
Cabul  Gate  for  some  time ;  again  the  word  was  forward,  and  in  lead 
ing  on  the  men,  my  glorious  friend  George  Jacob  was  mortally  wound 
ed  ;  he,  poor  fellow,  was  shot  in  the  thigh,  and  died  that  night.  As 
he  lay  writhing  in  his  agony  on  the  ground,  unable  to  stand,  two  or 
three  men  went  to  take  him  to  the  rear,  but  a  sense  of  duty  was  supe 
rior  to  bodily  pain,  and  he  refused  their  aid,  desiring  them  to  go  on 
and  take  the  guns.  Twice  did  the  enemy  repulse  us  from  this  strong 
position,  our  third  attempt  was  successful,  but  two  guns  hardly  repaid 
us  for  our  loss.  '  Sergeant  Jordan,'  I  said,  '  spike  that  gun  on  the 
rampart.'  '  I  can't,  sir,  I've  no  spikes.'  '  Then  take  a  ramrod,  break 
it  in,  and  throw  it  down  to  me ; '  and  I  spiked  the  other  gun  in  the 
same  way.  The  enemy  eventually  retook  this  position,  but  found 
only  useless  guns.  A  little  in  advance,  the  enemy  had'  a  gun  and 
bullet-proof  breastwork,  behind  which  they  fired  on  us  with  impunity. 
This  was  on  the  rampart,  and  we  were  in  a  narrow  lane  about  twelve 
feet  below,  where  not  more  than  four  men  could  go  abreast.  In  one 
charge,  Nicholson,  our  best  and  bravest,  was  struck  down.  Speke, 
gentle  everywhere  but  in  the  field,  was  mortally  wounded,  and  I,  in 
re-forming  the  regiment  for  a  renewed  attempt,  was  shot  through  the 
right  shoulder,  which  will  prevent  my  being  bumptious  for  some 
time;  out  of  our  small  party,  seven  officers  and  many,  very  many 
men  had  fallen.  It  was  felt  to  be  madness  to  continue  the  struggle 
where  the  enemy  had  all  the  advantage,  and  the  troops  were  with 
drawn  to  the  Cabul  Gate,  but  the  British  and  Sikh  soldiers  had  done 
their  work,  they  had  opened  the  road  for  our  unrivalled  artillery  to 
bring  in  their  guns,  and  in  six  days  they  cleared  the  city  with  very 
trifling  loss  on  our  side." 


330  KILLED   AND   WOUNDED. 

Chesney  and  Hovenden  among  the  latter,  though  not 
badly.  Of  the  Fusileers,  poor  Jacob  was  mortally  wound 
ed,  since  dead,  I  grieve  to  say  ;  Greville,  badly  ;  Owen,  se 
verely;  Wemyss  and  Lambert,  slightly;  Butler,  knocked 
down  and  stunned  ;  F.  Brown  and  Warner,  both  grazed. 
Of  officers  attached  to  the  regiment,  Captain  Mac  Barnett 
was  killed  ;  Stafford,  wounded  ;  Speke,  mortally  so  ;  what 
a  frightful  list !  Besides  this,  Captain  Boisragon  was 
wounded  badly,  with  the  Kumaon  battalion  ;  so  that,  of 
the  officers  of  the  1st  Fusileers  engaged  yesterday,  only 
Wriford,  Wallace,  and  myself,  escaped  untouched.  My 
preservation  (I  do  not  like  the  word  escape)  was  mirac 
ulous.  For  more  than  two  hours  we  had  to  sit  on  our 
horses  under  the  heaviest  fire  troops  are  often  exposed  to, 
and  that,  too,  without  the  chance  of  doing  anything  but 
preventing  the  enemy  coming  on.  Brigadier  Hope  Grant 
commanded,  and  while  I  doubt  his  judgment  in  taking 
cavalry  into  such  a  position,  I  admit  that  it  was  impossi 
ble  for  any  man  to  take  troops  under  a  hotter  fire,  keep 
them  there  more  steadily,  or  exhibit  a  more  cool  and 
determined  bravery  than  he  did.  My  young  regiment 
behaved  admirably,  as  did  all  hands.  The  loss  of  the 
party  was  of  course  very  severe.  Of  Tombs's  troop 
alone,  twenty -five  men  (out  of  fifty)  and  seventeen  horses 
were  hit.  The  brigadier  and  four  officers  composing  his 
staff  all  had  their  horses  killed,  and  two  of  the  five  were 
wounded.  The  brigadier  himself  was  hit  by  a  spent  shot ; 
Tombs  escaped,  I  am  delighted  to  say,  from  a  similar 
spent  ball.  Our  success  on  the  whole  was  hardly  what  it 
should  have  been,  considering  the  sacrifice,  but  the  great 
end  of  getting  into  Delhi  was  attained.  About  one  third 
of  the  city  is  in  our  power,  and  the  remainder  will  shortly 
follow,  but  that  third  has  cost  us  between  600  and  700 


MACDOWELL'S   LETTER.  331 

killed  and  wounded.*  I  am  most  humbly  and  heartily 
grateful  to  a  merciful  Providence  that  I  was  spared. 
May  the  God  of  battles  continue  His  gracious  protection 
to  the  end,  and  enable  me  once  more  to  be  reunited  to  all 
most  precious  to  me  on  earth. 


Letter  from  LIEUTENANT  MACDOWELL,  2d  in  command 
Hodson's  Horse. 

"  DELHI. 

"  On  the  night  of  the  13th  September,  final  prepara 
tions  were  made  for  the  assault  on  the  city.  Brigadiers 
and  commanding  officers  (our  little  army  boasts  of  no 
generals  of  divisions)  were  summoned  to  the  General's 
tent,  and  then  received  their  instructions.  At  1  o'clock 
A.  M.  on  the  14th,  the  men  all  turned  out  silently,  no 
bugles  or  trumpets  sounding,  and  moved  down  in  silence 
to  the  trenches.  The  batteries  all  this  time  kept  up  an 
unceasing  fire  on  the  city,  which  responded  to  it  as  usual. 
On  arriving  at  the  trenches  the  troops  lay  down,  awaiting 
the  signal,  which  was  to  be  given  at  daybreak,  and  which 
was  to  be  the  blowing  in  of  the  Cashmere  Gate,  towards 
which  a  party  of  Engineers  and  Sappers  moved  off  at 
about  3  A.  M.  The  assault  was  to  be  made  in  three  col 
umns  :  the  first  was  to  blow  open  the  Cashmere  Gate,  the 
second  to  escalade  the  Water  Bastion,  and  the  third  to 
escalade  the  Moree  Bastion,  both  of  which  had  been  pro 
nounced  practicable.  As  I  was  with  the  cavalry  all  the 
time,  I  saw  nothing  of  the  storming,  but  it  is  sufficient  to 
say  it  succeeded  on  every  point,  and  by  8  A.  M.  we  were 
inside  the  walls,  and  held  all  their  outworks. 

"  Now  began  the  difficulty,  as  from  the  small  force  we 
*  66  officers,  1,104  men,  was  the  official  return. 


332       DETAILS  OF  THE  FALL  OF  DELHI. 

had,  it  was  very  hard  work  to  drive  a  large  body  of  men 
out  of  such  a  city  as  Delhi.  It  took  four  days  to  accom 
plish,  but  at  length,  on  the  morning  of  the  20th,  the  flag 
of  Old  England  floated  gracefully  out  over  the  palace  of 
the  Great  Mogul.  And  now  for  what  we  (the  cavalry) 
did.  At  3  A.  M.*  we  moved  down  in  column  of  squad 
rons  to  the  rear  of  our  batteries,  and  waited  there  till 
about  5  A.  M.,  when  the  enemy  advanced  from  the  Lahore 
Gate  with  two  troops  of  artillery,  no  end  of  cavalry,  and 
a  lot  of  infantry,  apparently  to  our  front.  I  think  they 
intended  to  try  and  take  our  old  position  now  that  we  had 
got  theirs.  In  an  instant  horse  artillery  and  cavalry 
were  ordered  to  the  front,  and  we  went  there  at  the  gal 
lop,  bang  through  our  own  batteries,  the  gunners  cheering 
us  as  we  leapt  over  the  sand-bags,  &c.,  and  halted  under 
the  Moree  Bastion,  under  as  heavy  a  fire  of  round  shot, 
grape,  and  canister,  as  I  have  ever  been  under  in  my 
life.  Our  artillery  dashed  to  the  front,  unlimbered,  and 
opened  upon  the  enemy,  and  at  it  they  both  went  '  ham 
mer  and  tongs.'  Now  you  must  understand  we  had  no 
infantry  with  us.  All  the  infantry  were  fighting  in  the 
city.  They  sent  out  large  bodies  of  infantry  and  cavalry 
against  us,  and  then  began  the  fire  of  musketry.  It  was 
tremendous.  There  we  were  (9th  Lancers,  1st,  2d,  4th 
Sikhs,  Guide  Cavalry,  and  Hodson's  Horse)  protecting 
the  Artillery,  who  were  threatened  by  their  infantry  and 
cavalry.  And  fancy  what  a  pleasant  position  we  were 
in,  under  this  infernal  fire,  and  never  returning  a  shot. 
Our  artillery  blazed  away,  of  course,  but  we  had  to  sit 
in  our  saddles  and  be  knocked  over.  However,  I  am 
happy  to  say  we  saved  the  guns.  The  front  we  kept  was 
so  steady  as  to  keep  them  back  until  some  of  the  Guide 
*  On  the  16th. 


CAVALRY  UNDER  FIRE.  333 

infantry  came  down  and  went  at  them.  I  have  been  in  a 
good  many  fights  now,  but  always  under  such  a  heavy 
fire  as  this  with  my  own  regiment,  and  then  there  is  al 
ways  excitement,  cheering  on  your  men,  who  are  replying 
to  the  enemy's  fire ;  but  here  we  were  in  front  of  a  lot  of 
gardens  perfectly  impracticable  for  cavalry,  under  a  fire 
of  musketry  which  I  have  seldom  seen  equalled,  the 
enemy  quite  concealed,  and  here  we  had  to  sit  for  three 
hours.  Had  we  retired,  they  would  at  once  have  taken 
our  guns.  Had  the  guns  retired  with  us,  we  should  have 
lost  the  position.  No  infantry  could  be  spared  to  assist 
us,  so  we  had  to  sit  there.  Men  and  horses  were  knocked 
over  every  minute.  We  suffered  terribly.  With  my  usual 
good  luck  I  was  never  touched.  Well,  all  things  must 
have  an  end.  Some  infantry  came  down  and  cleared  the 
gardens  in  our  front,  and  as  their  cavalry  never  showed, 
and  we  had  no  opportunity  of  charging,  we  fell  back,  and 
(the  fire  being  over  in  that  quarter)  halted  and  dis 
mounted.*  All  this  time  hard  fighting  was  going  on  in 
the  city.  The  next  day,  and  up  to  the  morning  of  the 
19th,  we  did  nothing  (I  am  now  speaking  exclusively  of 
the  cavalry  brigade)  but  form  in  line  on  the  top  of  the 
ridge,  ready  to  pursue  the  enemy  should  they  turn  out  of 
the  city  in  force."  f 

*  One  of  the  officers  present  on  this  occasion,  speaking  of  it  in  a 
letter  to  his  wife,  says,  "  I  found  time,  however,  for  admiration  of 
Hodson,  who  sat  like  a  man  carved  in  stone,  and  as  calm  and  appar 
ently  as  unconcerned  as  the  sentries  at  the  Horse  Guards,  and  only  by 
his  eyes  and  his  ready  hand,  whenever  occasion  offered,  could  you 
have  told  that  he  was  in  deadly  peril,  and  the  balls  flying  amongst  us 
as  thick  as  hail." 
|  Extract  from  the  Despatch  of  BRIGADIER  HOPE  GRANT,  Commanding 

Cavalry  Division. 
"  HEAD- QUARTERS,  DELHI,  Sept.  17$,  1857. 

"  The  behavior  of  the  Native  Cavalry  was  also  admirable.     Noth- 


334  HEAVY  LOSS. 

September  1  Qth.  —  I  have  just  returned  from  a  very 
long  and  terribly  hot  ride  of  some  hours  to  ascertain  the 
movements,  position,  and  line  of  retreat  of  the  enemy, 
and  I  can  do  no  more  than  report  my  safety.  I  grieve 
much  for  poor  Major  Jacob,  we  buried  him  and  three 
sergeants  of  the  regiment  last  night ;  he  was  a  noble 
soldier.  His  death  has  made  me  a  captain,  the  long 
wished-for  goal ;  but  I  would  rather  have  served  on  as 
a  subaltern  than  gained  promotion  thus.  Greville  and 
Owen  are  doing  well,  but  I  much  fear  there  is  no  hope 
for  poor  Nicholson  ;  his  is  a  cruel  wound,  and  his  loss 
would  be  a  material  calamity.  You  may  count  our  real 
officers  on  your  fingers  now  —  men,  I  mean,  really  worthy 
the  name.  General  Wilson  is  fairly  broken  down  by 
fatigue  and  anxiety,  he  cannot  stand  on  his  legs  to-day ; 
fortunately,  Chamberlain  is  well  enough  to  go  down  and 
keep  him  straight ;  and  Colonel  Seaton  also,  —  two  good 
men,  if  he  will  be  led  by  them.  All  is  going  on  well ; 
the  magazine  was  carried  by  storm  this  morning,  with 
nominal  loss,  and  our  guns  are  knocking  the  fort  and 
palace  about.  All  the  suburbs  have  been  evacuated  or 
taken.  I  have  just  ridden  through  them,  and  all  the 
enemy's  heavy  guns  have  been  brought  into  camp.  In 
forty-eight  hours  the  whole  city,  I  think,  with  its  seven 
miles  of  enceinte,  will  be  ours  ;  our  loss  has  been  very 
heavy :  46  officers  killed  and  wounded,  200  men  killed, 
and  700  or  800  wounded. 

September  17th.  —  All  is  going  on  well,  though  slowly ; 
the  Sepoys  still  occupy  a  portion  of  the  city,  and  are 
being  gradually  driven  backwards,  while  the  palace  and 

ing  could  be  steadier,  nothing  more  soldierlike,  than  their  bearing. 
Lieutenant  Hodson  commanded  a  corps  raised  by  himself,  and  he  is  a 
first-rate  ollicei',  brave,  determined,  and  clear-headed." 


SLOW   PKOGRESS  IN   THE   CITY.  335 

fort  are  continually  played  upon  by  shell  and  shot ;  not 
above  3,000  or  4,000  of  the  rebel  troops  remain  in  the 
city.  Head-quarters  are  there,  and  I  am  going  down 
immediately  to  take  up  my  quarters  with  the  staff.  I 
expect  to-morrow  will  see  the  last  of  it,  but  there  is  no 
calculating  with  anything  like  certainty  on  the  proceedings 
of  these  unreasoning  wretches.  I  am  thankful  to  say 
Nicholson  is  a  little  better  to-day,  and  there  appears  some 
hope  of  his  recovery,  though  a  very  slight  one.  Mr. 
Colvin  is  dead  :  another  celebrity  taken  away  in  this 
time  of  trial.  The  home  mail  of  the  10th  of  August 
has  arrived,  but  brought  no  letters  for  me  as  yet,  but  very 
few  have  arrived  in  all.  The  Government  at  home  seem, 
at  last  awaking  to  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  this  crisis 
in  Indian  affairs. 

September  18th.  —  There  is  nothing  worth  speaking  of 
doing  here.  We  are  still  shelling  the  fort  and  palace, 
but  as  slowly,  alas,  as  possible.  I  am  writing  in  great 
haste,  in  order  to  go  down  and  see  my  "  intelligence " 
people.  Some  of  the  enemy  are  trying  negotiation.  I 
only  hope  they  may  find  it  is  too  late,  and  that  we  may 
pursue  and  destroy  the  wretches  whom  we  have  to  thank 
for  so  much  barbarity  and  bloodshed. 

September  19th.  —  We  are  making  slow  progress  in 
the  city.  The  fact  is,  the  troops  are  utterly  demoralized 
by  hard  work  and  hard  drink,  I  grieve  to  say.  For  the 
first  time  in  rny  life  I  have  had  to  see  English  soldiers 
refuse  repeatedly  to  follow  their  officers.  Greville,  Jacob, 
Nicholson,  and  Speke  were  all  sacrificed  to  this.  We 
were  out  with  all  the  cavalry  this  morning  on  a  recon 
naissance,  or  rather  demonstration,  for  some  miles,  and 
got  a  wetting  for  our  pains  ;  however,  rain  at  this  season 
is  too  grateful  to  be  complained  of. 


336  CAPTURE   OF   THE  ROYAL   FAMILY. 

September  20th.  —  I  have  been  much  shocked  (even  fa 
miliar  as  I  have  become  with  death)  by  poor  Greathed's  * 
sudden  death  yesterday  from  cholera  ;  the  strongest  and 
healthiest  man  in  camp  snatched  away  after  a  few  hours' 
illness.  Sir  T.  Metcalfe  also  is  very  ill  with  the  same 
cruel  disease  ;  what  a  harvest  of  death  there  has  been 
during  the  past  four  months,  as  if  war  was  not  sufficiently 
full  of  horrors.  The  rebels  have  fled  from  the  city  in 
thousands,  and  it  is  all  but  empty  ;  only  the  palace  is  still 
occupied,  and  that  we.  hope  to  get  hold  of  immediately, 
and  so  this  horribly  protracted  siege  wrill  be  at  an  end  at 
last,  thank  God.  None  but  those  who  fought  through  the 
first  six  weeks  of  the  campaign  know  on  what  a  thread 
our  lives  and  the  safety  of  the  Empire  hung,  or  can  ap 
preciate  the  sufferings  and  exertions  of  those  days  of 
watchfulness  and  combat,  of  fearful  heat  and  exhaustion, 
of  trial  and  danger.  I  look  back  on  them  with  a  feeling 
of  almost  doubt  whether  they  were  real  or  only  a  foul 
dream.  This  day  will  be  a  memorable  one  in  the  annals 
of  the  Empire  ;  the  restoration  of  British  rule  in  the  East 
dates  from  the  20th  September,  1857. 

IN  THE  ROYAL  PALACE  DELHI,  September  22d.  — 
I  was  quite  unable  to  write  yesterday,  having  had  a  hard 
day's  work.  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  capture  the  King 
and  his  favorite  wife.  To-day,  more  fortunate  still,  I 
have  seized  and  destroyed  the  King's  two  sons  and  a 
grandson  (the  famous,  or  rather  infamous,  Abu  Bukr), 
the  villains  who  ordered  the  massacre  of  our  women  and 
children,  and  stood  by  and  witnessed  the  foul  barbarity  ; 
their  bodies  are  now  lying  on  the  spot  where  those  of  the 
unfortunate  ladies  were  exposed.  I  am  very  tired,  but 
very  much  satisfied  with  my  day's  work,  and  so  seem  all 
*  Hervey  H.  Greathed,  Commissioner  and  Political  Agent. 


GENERAL   WILSON'S   DESPATCH.  337 

hands.  We  were  to  have  accompanied  the  movable 
column,  but  to-day  it  is  counter-ordered,  and  we  remain 
here.* 

September  23d.  —  When  shall  I  have  time  to  write 
really  a  letter  ?  It  seems  as  if  I  were  each  day  doomed 
to  fresh  labor  and  worry,  and  I  long  to  shake  off  the 
whole  coil,  and  go  where  I  can  find  repose  and  peace. 
Fortunately,  my  health  stands  the  wear  and  tear,  and 
as  my  success  has  been  great  I  must  not  grumble.  .  .  . 
I  came  to  camp  this  morning  to  see  after  the  march  of  a 
detachment  of  my  regiment  which  is  ordered,  after  half 
a  dozen  changes,  to  accompany  a  movable  column  which 
is  ordered  to  proceed  towards  Agra  to-morrow.  I  am  to 
remain  here,  and  to  tell  the  truth,  the  business  is  so  mis 
managed  that  I  have  ceased  to  care  whether  I  go  or  stay. 
I  fancy  they  find  me  too  useful  here.  We  move  down 
bodily  to  or  near  the  town  to-morrow,  and  everything  is 
in  confusion  and  bustle. 

September  24tk.  —  Brigadier  Grant,  like  dear  Sir 
Henry  Lawrence,  (though  both  married  men  themselves,) 
says  that  soldiers  have  no  business  to  marry  ;  under  the 
idea  that  anxiety  for  their  wives'  welfare  and  safety  often 
induces  men  to  hesitate  to  run  risks  which  they  would 
otherwise  cheerfully  undergo.  I,  on  a  less  selfish  princi 
ple,  question  very  much  whether  men  have  any  right  to 

*  Extract  from  the  Despatches  of  GENERAL  WILSOX  on  the  Fall  of 
Delhi. 

"  DELHI,  Sept.  22J,  1857. 

"  I  beg  also  to  bring  very  favorably  to  notice  the  officers  of  the 
Quartermaster-General1  s  Department,  .  .  .  and  Captain  Hodson, 
who  has  performed  such  good  and  gallant  service  with  his  newly 
raised  regiment  of  Irregular  Horse,  and  at  the  same  time  conducted 
the  duties  of  the  Intelligence  Department,  under  the  orders  of  the 
Quartermaster-General,  with  rare  ability  and  success." 
15 


338  CAVALRY    "DEMONSTRATION." 

expose  their  wives  to  such  misery  and  anxiety  as  during 
the  last  few  months  have  fallen  to  the  lot  of  so  many  ; 
and  yet  it  seems  hard  to  say  that  soldiers,  who  have  so 
much  to  endure  at  times  for  the  sake  of  others  and  of 
their  common  country,  should  be  denied  the  happiness  of 
married  life,  because  times  of  danger  will  sometimes  oc 
cur,  and  certain  I  am  that  the  love  of  a  noble-hearted 
woman  nerves  one's  arm  to  daring  and  to  honor.  Happy, 
however,  is  the  woman  whose  husband  is  not  a  soldier. 
.  .  .  .  Really  the  rumors  which  travel  about  are  too 
ludicrous,  though  hardly  more  so  than  those  which  take 
rise  and  are  actually  believed  in  camp. 

The  true  account  of  the  cavalry  "  demonstration "  is 
this :  on  the  morning  on  which  the  city  and  palace  were 
finally  evacuated  (19th),  the  whole  of  the  available  caval 
ry  (not  otherwise  employed)  moved  out  through  the  sub 
urbs  in  the  direction  of,  though  not  on  the  road  to,  the 
Kootub,  but  with  strict  orders  not  to  go  under  fire  !  Well, 
we  all  marched  out  to  the  top  of  the  hill  on  which  stands 
the  "  Eedgah,"  and  thence,  from  a  safe  and  respectful 
distance,  overlooked  the  camp  of  the  Bareilly  and  Nus- 
seerabad  force,  under  "  General "  Bukt  Khan,  quondam 
Subadar  of  artillery.  While  minutely  examining  the 
camp  through  my  glass  (I  was  with  Brigadier  Hope 
Grant,  to  show  the  way),  I  perceived,  by  unmistakable 
signs,  that  it  was  being  evacuated.  Shortly  after  a  loud 
explosion  showed  that  they  were  blowing  up  their  ammu 
nition  previous  to  a  flight ;  these  signs  were  on  the  mo 
ment  confirmed  by  the  arrival  of  my  "  Hurkaras ''  (mes 
sengers),  and  I  immediately  got  leave  to  go  and  tell  the 
General.  I  did  so,  galloping  down  along  the  front  of  the 
city  to  see  if  that  was  quite  clear.  I  then  asked  leave  to 
go  down  through  the  camp,  and  see  what  was  really  the 


PURSUIT    OF   THE   PRINCES.  339 

state  of  the  case  ;  and  Macdowell  and  I  started  with 
seventy-five  men,  and  rode  at  a  gallop  right  round  the 
city  to  the  Delhi  gate,  clearing  the  roads  of  plunderers 
and  suspicious-looking  objects  as  we  went.  We  found  the 
camp  as  I  had  been  told,  empty,  and  the  Delhi  gate  open  ; 
we  were  there  at  11  A.  M.  at  latest,  and  it  was  not  until 
2  P.  M.  that  the  order  was  given  for  the  cavalry  to  move 
out,  and  they  were  so  long  about  it,  that  when  at  sunset 
Macdowell  and  I  were  returning,  (bringing  away  three 
guns  left  by  the  enemy,  and  having  made  arrangements 
and  collected  camels  for  bringing  in  the  empty  tents.  &c.,) 
we  met  the  advance-guard  coming  slowly  forward  in 
grand  array  !  We  had  been  on  to  the  jail  and  old  fort, 
two  or  three  miles  beyond  Delhi,  and  executed  many  a 
straggler.  I  brought  in  the  mess  plate  of  the  60th  Na 
tive  Infantry,  their  standards,  drums,  and  other  things. 
Macdowell  and  I  had  been  for  five  hours  inside  the  Delhi 
gate,  hunting  about,  before  a  guard  was  sent  to  take 
charge  of  it. 

The  next  day  I  got  permission,  after  much  argument 
and  entreaty,  to  go  and  bring  in  the  King,  for  which 
(though  negotiations  for  his  life  had  been  entertained)  no 
provision  had  been  made  and  no  steps  taken,  and  his 
favorite  wife  also,  and  the  young  imp  (her  son)  whom  he 
had  destined  to  succeed  him  on  the  throne.  This  was 
successfully  accomplished,  at  the  expense  of  vast  fatigue 
and  no  trifling  risk.*  I  then  set  to  work  to  get  hold  of 
the  villain  princes.  It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
that  the  General  was  persuaded  to  allow  them  to  be 
interfered  with,  till  even  poor  Nicholson  roused  himself 
to  urge  that  the  pursuit  should  be  attempted.  The  Gen 
eral  at  length  yielded  a  reluctant  consent,  adding  "  but 
*  Vide  p.  342  for  more  detailed  account. 


340  CAPTURE. 

don't  let  me  be  bothered  with  them."  I  assured  him  it 
was  nothing  but  his  own  order  which  "  bothered "  him 
with  the  King,  as  I  would  much  rather  have  brought  him 
into  Delhi  dead  than  living.  Glad  to  have  at  length 
obtained  even  this  consent,  I  prepared  for  my  dangerous 
expedition.  Macdowell  accompanied  me,  and  taking  one 
hundred  picked  men,  I  started  early  for  the  tomb  of 
the  Emperor  Humayoon,  where  the  villains  had  taken 
sanctuary.  I  laid  my  plans  so  as  to  cut  off  access  to 
the  tomb  or  escape  from  it,  and  then  sent  in  one  of  the 
inferior  scions  of  the  royal  family  (purchased  for  the 
purpose  by  the  promise  of  his  life)  and  my  one-eyed 
Moulvie  Rujub  Alee,  to  say  that  I  had  come  to  seize  the 
Shahzadahs  for  punishment,  and  intended  to  do  so,  dead 
or  alive.  After  two  hours  of  wordy  strife  and  very  anx 
ious  suspense,  they  appeared,  and  asked  if  their  lives  had 
been  promised  by  the  Government,  to  which  I  answered 
"  most  certainly  not,"  and  sent  them  away  from  the  tomb 
towards  the  city,  under  a  guard.  I  then  went  with  the 
rest  of  the  sowars  to  the  tomb,  and  found  it  crowded  with, 
I  should  think,  some  6,000  or  7,000  of  the  servants,  hang 
ers-on,  and  scum  of  the  palace  and  city,  taking  refuge  in 
the  cloisters  which  lined  the  walls  of  the  tomb.  I  saw  at 
a  glance  that  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  determination 
and  a  bold  front,  so  I  demanded  in  a  voice  of  authority 
the  instant  surrender  of  their  arms,  &c.  They  immedi 
ately  obeyed,  with  an  alacrity  I  scarcely  dared  to  hope 
for.  and  in  less  than  two  hours  they  brought  forth  from 
innumerable  hiding-places  some  500  swords,  and  more 
than  that  number  of  fire-arms,  besides  horses,  bullocks, 
and  covered  carts  called  "  Ruths,"  used  by  the  women 
and  eunuchs  of  the  palace.  I  then  arranged  the  arms 
and  animals  in  the  centre,  and  left  an  armed  guard  with 


SHOOTING   OF   THE  KING'S   SONS.  341 

them,  while  I  went  to  look  after  my  prisoners,  who,  with 
their  guard,  had  moved  on  towards  Delhi.  I  came  up 
just  in  time,  as  a  large  mob  had  collected,  and  were  turn 
ing  on  the  guard.  I  rode  in  among  them  at  a  gallop,  and 
in  a  few  words  I  appealed  to  the  crowd,  saying  that  these 
were  the  butchers  who  had  murdered  and  brutally  used 
helpless  women  aod  children,  and  that  the  Government 
had  now  sent  their  punishment :  seizing  a  carabine  from 
one  of  my  men,  I  deliberately  shot  them  one  after  an 
other.  I  then  ordered  the  bodies  to  be  taken  into  the 
city,  and  thrown  out  on  the  "  Chiboutra,"  in  front  of  the 
Kotwalie,*  where  the  blood  of  their  innocent  victims  still 
could  be  distinctly  traced.  The  bodies  remained  before 
the  Kotwalie  until  this  morning,  when,  for  sanitary  rea 
sons,  they  were  removed.  In  twenty-four  hours,  there 
fore,  I  disposed  of  the  principal  members  of  the  house 
of  Timur  the  Tartar.  I  am  not  cruel,  but  I  confess  I 
did  rejoice  at  the  opportunity  of  ridding  the  earth  of  these 
wretches.  I  intended  to  have  had  them  hung,  but  when 
it  came  to  a  question  of  "  they  "  or  "  us,"  I  had  no  time 
for  deliberation. 

September  24^.  —  The  picture  drawn  from  the  usu 
ally  mendacious  reports  at  Simla,  is  not  even  founded  on 
fact.  The  women  of  the  palace  had  all  escaped  before 
the  troops  entered. 

The   troops  have  behaved  with  singular   moderation 

*  It  was  on  this  spot  that  the  head  of  Gooroo  Teg  Bahadoor  had 
been  exposed  by  order  of  Aurungzebe,  the  Great  Mogul,  nearly  200 
years  before.  The  Sikhs  considered  that  in  attacking  Delhi  they 
were  "  paying  off  an  old  score."  A  prophecy  had  long  been  current 
among  them,  that  by  the  help  of  the  white  man  they  should  reconquer 
Delhi.  After  this  they  looked  on  Captain  Hodson  as  the  "  avenger  of 
their  martyred  Gooroo,"  and  were  even  more  ready  than  before  to 
follow  him  anywhere. 


342  NICHOLSON. 

towards  women  and  children,  considering  their  provoca 
tion.  I  do  not  believe,  and  I  have  some  means  of  know 
ing,  that  a  single  woman  or  child  has  been  purposely 
injured  by  our  troops,  and  the  story  on  which  your  right 
eous  indignation  is  grounded  is  quite  false  ;  the  troops 
have  been  demoralized  by  drink,  but  nothing  more. 

September  25tk.  — ...  I  miss  Colonel  Seaton  terribly, 
we  have  lived  in  the  same  tent  for  months,  and  had  be 
come  brothers  in  affection  as  well  as  in  arms.  I  mourn 
deeply  for  poor  Nicholson  ;  with  the  single  exceptions 
of  my  ever-revered  Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  and  Colonel 
Mackeson,  I  have  never  seen  his  equal  in  field  or  coun 
cil  ;  he  was  preeminently  our  "  best  and  bravest,"  and 
his  loss  is  not  to  be  atoned  for  in  these  days.  I  cannot 
help  being  pleased  with  the  warm  congratulations  I  re 
ceive  on  all  sides  for  my  success  in  destroying  the  ene 
mies  of  our  race  ;  the  whole  nation  will  rejoice,  but  I  am 
pretty  sure  that  however  glad will  be  at  their  de 
struction,  he  will  take  exception  to  my  having  been  the 
instrument,  in  God's  hands,  of  their  punishment.  That 
will  not  signify,  however ;  I  am  too  conscious  of  the 
rectitude  of  my  own  motives  to  care  what  the  few  may 
say  while  my  own  conscience  and  the  voice  of  the  many 
pronounce  me  right. 

A  fuller  account  of  the  capture  of  the  King  will 
be  found  in  a  letter  addressed  to  me  shortly  after 
wards,  and  published  by  me  in  the  Times,  which 
I  now  reprint :  — 

"  I  have  before  explained  to  you  what  your  brother's 
(Captain  Hodson's)  position  officially  was,  —  namely,  that 
he  was  appointed  Assistant  Quartermaster-General  and 
Intelligence  Officer  on  the  Commander-in-Chief 's  own 


HODSON'S   POSITION.  343 

Staff.  His  reports  were  to  be  made  to  him  direct,  with 
out  the  intervention  of  the  Quartermaster-General  or  any- 
other  person. 

"  For  this  appointment,  which  was  then  a  most  respon 
sible  one,  as  intelligence  of  the  enemy's  movements  and 
intentions  was  of  the  utmost  importance,  his  long  acquaint 
ance  with  Sikhs  and  Affghans,  and  his  having  been  simi 
larly  employed  in  the  Punjaub  war,  had  peculiarly  fitted 
him.  Of  course,  there  were  always  plenty  of  traitors  in 
the  enemy's  camp  ready  to  sell  their  own  fathers  for  gain, 
or  to  avoid  punishment,  and  he  wras  invested  with  full 
power  to  promise  reward  or  punishment,  in  proportion  to 
the  deserts  of  those  who  assisted  him. 

"  On  our  taking  possession  of  the  city  gate,  reports 
came  in  that  thousands  of  the  enemy  were  evacuating 
the  city  by  the  other  gates,  and  that  the  King  also  had 
left  his  palace.  We  fought  our  way  inch  by  inch  to  the 
palace  walls,  and  then  found  truly  enough  that  its  vast 
arena  was  void.  The  very  day  after  we  took  possession 
of  the  palace,  (the  20th,)  Captain  Hodson  received  in 
formation  that  the  King  and  his  family  had  gone  with  a 
large  force  out  of  the  Ajmere  Gate  to  the  Kootub.  He 
immediately  reported  this  to  the  General  commanding, 
and  asked  whether  he  did  not  intend  to  send  a  detach 
ment  in  pursuit,  as  with  the  King  at  liberty  and  heading 
so  large  a  force,  our  victory  was  next  to  useless,  and  we 
might  be  besieged  instead  of  besiegers.  General  Wilson 
replied  that  he  could  not  spare  a  single  European.  He 
then  volunteered  to  lead  a  party  of  the  Irregulars,  but 
this  offer  was  also  refused,  though  backed  up  by  Neville 
Chamberlain. 

"  During  this  time  messengers  were  coming  in  con 
stantly,  and  among  the  rest  one  from  Zeenat  Mahal,  (the 


344       NEGOTIATIONS  FOR  SURRENDER  OF  KING. 

favorite  Begum,)  with  an  offer  to  use  her  influence  with 
the  King  to  surrender  on  certain  conditions.  These  con 
ditions  at  first  were  ludicrous  enough  —  viz  :  that  the  King 
and  the  whole  of  the  males  of  his  family  should  be 
restored  to  his  palace  and  honors ;  that  not  only  should 
his  pension  be  continued,  but  the  arrears  since  May  be 
paid  up,  with  several  other  equally  modest  demands.  I 
need  not  say  these  were  treated  with  contemptuous  denial. 
Negotiations,  however,  were  vigorously  carried  on,  and 
care  was  taken  to  spread  reports  of  an  advance  in  force 
to  the  Kootub.  Every  report  as  it  came  in  was  taken  to 
General  Wilson,  who  at  last  gave  orders  to  Captain  Hod- 
son  to  promise  the  King's  life  and  freedom  from  personal 
indignity,  and  make  what  other  terms  he  could.  Captain 
Hodson  then  started  with  only  fifty  of  his  own  men  for 
Humayoon's  Tomb,  three  miles  from  the  Kootub,  where 
the  King  had  come  during  the  day.  The  risk  was  such  as 
no  one  can  judge  of,  who  has  not  seen  the  road,*  amid 
the  old  ruins  scattered  about  of  what  was  once  the  real 
city  of  Delhi. 

"  He  concealed  himself  and  men  in  some  old  buildings 
close  by  the  gateway  of  the  Tomb,  and  sent  in  his  two 
emissaries  to  Zeenat  Mahal  with  the  ultimatum,  —  the 
King's  life  and  that  of  her  son  and  father  (the  latter  has 
since  died).  After  two  hours  passed  by  Captain  Hodson 
in  most  trying  suspense,  such  as  (he  says)  he  never  spent 
before,  while  waiting  the  decision,  his  emissaries  (one  an 

*  "  At  a  short  distance,  about  a  mile  before  reaching  the  tomb,  the 
road  passes  tinder  the  Old  Fort,  —  a  strong  tower,  commanding  the 
road  on  two  sides,  in  which  the  King  and  his  party  first  took  refnge 
on  their  escape  from  Delhi.  This  was  filled  with  his  adherents, 
and  it  was  a  moment  of  no  small  danger  to  Hodson  and  his  little 
troop,  when  passing  under  it  on  his  way  out  to  the  tomb,  any  stray 
shot  from  the  walls  might  have  laid  him  low."  —  Note  by  a  Friend. 


SURRENDER   OF   THE   KING.  345 

>ld  favorite  of  poor  Sir  Henry  Lawrence,)  came  out  with 
the  last  offer  —  that  the  King  would  deliver  himself  up 
to  Captain  Hodson  only,  and  on  condition  that  he  repeated 
with  his  own  lips  the  promise  of  the  Government  for  his 
safety. 

"  Captain  Hodson  then  went  out  into  the  middle  of  the 
road  in  front  of  the  gateway,  and  said  that  he  was  ready 
to  receive  his  captives  and  renew  the  promise. 

"  You  may  picture  to  yourself  the  scene  before  that 
magnificent  gateway,  with  the  milk-white  domes  of  the 
Tomb  towering  up  from  within,  one  white  man  among  a 
host  of  natives,  yet  determined  to  secure  his  prisoner  or 
perish  in  the  attempt. 

"  Soon  a  procession  began  to  come  slowly  out,  first 
Zeenat  Mahal,  in  one  of  the  close  native  conveyances 
used  for  women.  Her  name  was  announced  as  she 
passed  by  the  Moulvie.  Then  came  the  King  in  a  palkee, 
on  which  Captain  Hodson  rode  forward  and  demanded 
his  arms.  Before  giving  them  up,  the  King  asked 
whether  he  was  ;  Hodson  Bahadoor,'  and  if  he  would 
repeat  the  promise  made  by  the  herald  ?  Captain  Hod- 
son  answered  that  he  would,  and  repeated  that  the  Gov 
ernment  had  been  graciously  pleased  to  promise  him  his 
life,  and  that  of  Zeenat  Mahal's  son,  on  condition  of  his 
yielding  himself  prisoner  quietly,  adding  very  emphati 
cally,  that  if  any  attempt  was  made  at  a  rescue  he  would 
shoot  the  King  down  on  the  spot  like  a  dog.  The  old 
man  then  gave  up  his  arms,  which  Captain  Hodson 
handed  to  his  orderly,  still  keeping  his  own  sword  drawn 
in  his  hand.  The  same  ceremony  was  then  gone  through 
with  the  boy  (Jumma  Bukh)  ;  and  the  march  towards 
the  city  began,  the  longest  five  miles,  as  Captain  Hodson 
said,  that  he  ever  rode,  for  of  course  the  palkees  only 

15  * 


346  SELECTION  OF  SWORDS. 

went  at  a  foot  pace,  with  his  handful  of  men  around  them, 
followed  by  thousands,  any  one  of  whom  could  have  shot 
him  down  in  a  moment.  His  orderly  told  me  that  it  was 
wonderful  to  see  the  influence  which  his  calm  and  un 
daunted  look  had  on  the  crowd.  They  seemed  perfectly 
paralyzed  at  the  fact  of  one  white  man  (for  they  thought 
nothing  of  his  fifty  black  sowars)  carrying  off  their  King 
alone.  Gradually  as  they  approached  the  city  the  crowd 
slunk  away,  and  very  few  followed  up  to  the  Lahore  gate. 
Then  Captain  Hodson  rode  on  a  few  paces  and  ordered 
the  gate  to  be  opened.  The  officer  on  duty  asked  simply 
as  he  passed  what  he  had  got  in  his  palkees.  '  Only  the 
King  of  Delhi,'  was  the  answer,  on  which  the  officer's 
enthusiastic  exclamation  was  more  emphatic  than  be 
comes  ears  polite.  The  guard  were  for  turning  out  to 
greet  him  with  a  cheer,  and  could  only  be  repressed,  on 
being  told  that  the  King  would  take  the  honor  to  himself. 
They  passed  up  that  magnificent  deserted  street  to  the 
palace  gate,  where  Capt.  Hodson  met  the  civil  officer  (Mr. 
Saunders),  and  formally  delivered  over  his  Royal  prison 
ers  to  him.  His  remark  was  amusing,  '  By  Jove  !  Hodson, 
they  ought  to  make  you  Commander-in-Chief  for  this.' 

"  On  proceeding  to  the  General's  quarters  to  report  his 
successful  return,  and  hand  over  the  Royal  arms,  he  was 
received  with  the  characteristic  speech,  '  Well,  I'm  glad 
you  have  got  him,  but  I  never  expected  to  see  either  him 
or  you  again  ! '  while  the  other  officers  in  the  room  were 
loud  in  their  congratulations  and  applause.  He  was  re 
quested  to  select  for  himself  from  the  Royal  arms  what 
he  chose,  and  has  therefore  two  magnificent  swords,  one 
with  the  name  of  f  Nadir  Shah,'  and  the  other  the  seal 
of  Jehan  Gire  engraved  upon  it,  which  he  intends  to 
present  to  the  Queen. 


LETTER   OF   MACDOWELL.  347 

"  On  the  following  day,  as  you  already  know,  he  cap 
tured  three  of  the  Princes  ;  but  of  this  more  hereafter. 
I  am  anxious  now  that  you  should  fully  understand  that 
your  brother  was  bound  by  orders  from  the  General  to 
spare  the  King's  life,  much  against  his  own  will ;  that  the 
capture  alone  was  on  his  own  risk  and  responsibility,  and 
not  the  pledge."  * 

I  am  allowed  to  insert  here  a  most  graphic  let 
ter,  written  by  Lieut.  Macdowell,  2d  in  command 
of  Hodson's  Horse  :  — 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  19th  we  formed  up  and  saw 
the  townspeople  coming  in  thousands  out  of  the  Delhi 
gate  (still  in  the  enemy's  possession),  and  passing  through 
their  camp,  taking  the  high  road  to  the  Kootub.  Too 
far  off  to  do  any  damage,  we  waited  (the  ground  a  mass 
of  hard  rocks,  impracticable  for  cavalry)  till  9  A.  M.,  and 
then  retired.  Hodson,  my  commanding  officer,  then 
went  to  the  General,  and  at  ten  I  received  a  note  from 
him,  ;  Gallop  down  with  fifty  men  and  meet  rne  at  the 
Cashmere  gate  as  sharp  as  possible.'  Down  I  went,  and 
he  told  me  he  had  volunteered  to  ride  through  the  ene 
my's  camp  and  reconnoitre ;  that  no  one  knew  if  they 
were  there  in  force  or  not,  and  he  asked  me  if  I  would 
accompany  him.  Of  course  I  was  only  too  glad,  and  off' 
we  went.  They  fired  at  us  as  we  approached,  from  gar- 

*  All  the  notice  taken  of  this  remarkable  exploit  in  Major-Genei'al 
Wilson's  despatch  of  September  22d,  was,  — 

"  The  King,  who  accompanied  the  troops  for  some  short  distance 
last  night,  gave  himself  up  to  a  party  of  Irregular  Cavalry  whom  I 
sent  out  in  the  direction  of  the  fugitives,  and  he  is  now  a  prisoner 
under  a  guard  of  European  soldiers." 

We  may  well  remark  on  this  anonymous  version,  "  id  maxime  for- 
midolosum,  privati  hominis  nomen  supra  principis  attolli."  —  Ed. 


348  DRINKING   THE    QUEEN'S   HEALTH. 

dens  and  places  all  round,  but  I  imagine  they  thought 
more  men  were  coming,  and  bolted,  we  (only  fifty  of  us) 
cutting  up  all  their  stragglers  to  the  tune  of  some  fifty  or 
sixty.  As  we  came  back  we  intercepted  a  whole  lot  of 
townspeople  escaping.  Well,  I  must  not  linger  on  this. 
Having  done  our  work  (and  it  wasn't  a  bad  thing  to  do, 
to  gallop  through  their  camp  with  fifty  men,  not  knowing 
whether  they  were  there  or  not),  we  cautiously  ap 
proached  the  Delhi  gate.  It  was  open,  but  all  was  silent. 
Our  troops  had  not  as  yet  ventured  so  far.  Afar  off  we 
heard  the  firing  in  the  city  in  other  quarters ;  leaving 
our  men  outside,  with  four  Sowars  behind  us  with  cocked 
carabines,  we  rode  in,  holding  our  revolvers  ready  for  a 
row.  Not  a  soul  was  there  ;  all  still  as  death.  I  looked 
round,  and  close  to  where  I  was  sitting  were  two  bottles 
of  beer  amidst  a  heap  of  plate,  silver,  clothes,  &c.  Per 
haps  I  didn't  jump  off  sharp !  It  was  all  right ;  real 
beer !  madam ;  we  uncorked,  and  drank  the  Queen's 
health  at  once.  After  a  little  time,  as  the  firing  ap 
proached,  and  we  found  all  was  right,  we  rode  away,  and 
reported  what  we  had  done.  The  General  was  very 
pleased. 

"  And  now  for  my  great  adventure.  On  the  20th  the 
King  gave  himself  up,  and  was  lodged  securely  in  Delhi 
under  a  guard.  On  this  day  all  had  evacuated  the  place, 
of  which  we  were  complete  masters.  On  the  2 1st  a  note 
from  Hodson,  '  Come  sharp,  bring  one  hundred  men.' 
Off  I  went,  time  6  o'clock  A.  M.  To  explain  why  he 
wrote  to  me,  I  must  tell  you  that  although  he  commanded 
the  regiment,  he  was  also  the  head  of  the  Intelligence 
Department,  and  lived  in  the  General's  quarters,  while  I 
lived  with  the  regiment,  commanding  it  in  his  absence, 
as  being  second  in  command.  Well,  down  I  went.  He 


SURRENDER   OF   THE   PRINCES.  349 

told  me  he  had  heard  that  the  three  Princes  *  (the  heads 
of  the  rebellion  and  sons  of  the  King)  were  in  a  tomb 
six  miles  offj  and  he  intended  going  to  bring  them,  and 
offered  me  the  chance  of  accompanying  him.  Wasn't  it 
handsome  on  his  part !  Of  course  I  went ;  we  started 
at  about  eight  o'clock,  and  proceeded  slowly  towards  the 
tomb.  It  is  called  Humayoon's  Tomb,  and  is  an  immense 
building.  In  it  were  the  princes  and  about  3,000  Mus 
sulman  followers.  In  the  suburb  close  by  about  3,000 
more,  all  armed,  so  it  was  rather  a  ticklish  bit  of  work. 
We  halted  half  a  mile  from  the  place,  and  sent  in  to  say 
the  princes  must  give  themselves  up  unconditionally,  or 
take  the  consequences.  A  long  half  hour  elapsed,  when 
a  messenger  came  out  to  say  the  princes  wished  to  know 
if  their  lives  would  be  promised  them,  if  they  came  out. 
4  Unconditional  surrender,'  was  the  answer.  Again  we 
waited.  It  was  a  most  anxious  time.  We  dared  not 
take  them  by  force,  or  all  would  have  been  lost,  and 
we  doubted  their  coming.  We  heard  the  shouts  of  the 
fanatics  (as  we  found  out  afterwards)  begging  the  princes 
to  lead  them  on  against  us.  And  we  had  only  one  hun 
dred  men,  and  were  six  miles  from  Delhi.  At  length, 
I  suppose,  imagining  that  sooner  or  later  they  must  be 
taken,  they  resolved  to  give  themselves  up  uncondition 
ally,  fancying,  I  suppose,  as  we  had  spared  the  King,  we 
would  spare  them.  So  the  messenger  was  sent  to  say 
they  were  coming.  We  sent  ten  men  to  meet  them,  and 
by  Hodson's  order  I  drew  the  troop  up  across  the  road, 
ready  to  receive  them,  and  shoot  them  at  once  if  there 
was  any  attempt  at  a  rescue.  Soon  they  appeared  in  a 
small  '  Ruth '  or  Hindostanee  cart  drawn  by  bullocks, 
five  troopers  on  each  side.  Behind  them  thronged  about 
*  Called  Shahzadahs. 


350  HUMAYOON'S   TOMB. 

2,000  or  3,000  (I  am  not  exaggerating)  Mussulmans 
We  met  them,  and  at  once  Hodson  and  I  rode  up,  leav 
ing  the  men  a  little  in  the  rear.  They  bowed  as  we 
came  up,  and  Hodson,  bowing,  ordered  the  driver  to 
move  on.  This  was  the  minute.  The  crowd  behind 
made  a  movement.  Hodson  waved  them  back  ;  I  bec 
koned  to  the  troop,  which  came  up,  and  in  an  instant 
formed  them  up  between  the  crowd  and  the  curt.  By 
Hodson's  order  I  advanced  at  a  walk  on  the  people,  who 
fell  back  sullenly  and  slowly  at  our  approach.  It  was 
touch  and  go.  Meanwhile  Hodson  galloped  back,  and 
told  the  sowars  (10)  to  hurry  the  princes  on  along  the 
road,  while  we  showed  a  front  and  kept  back  the  mob. 
They  retired  on  Humayoon's  Tomb,  and  step  by  step 
we  followed  them.  Inside  they  went  up  the  steps,  and 
formed  up  in  the  immense  garden  inside.  The  entrance 
to  this  was  through  an  arch,  up  steps.  Leaving  the  men 
outside,  Hodson  and  myself  (I  stuck  to  him  throughout), 
with  four  men,  rode  up  the  steps  into  the  arch,*  when  he 
called  out  to  them  to  lay  down  their  arms.  There  was  a 
murmur.  He  reiterated  the  command,  and  (God  knows 
why,  I  never  can  understand  it)  they  commenced  doing 
so.  Now  you  see  we  didn't  want  their  arms,  and  under 
ordinary  circumstances  would  not  have  risked  our  lives 
in  so  rash  a  way,  but  what  we  wanted  was  to  gain  time 
to  get  the  princes  away,  for  we  could  have  done  nothing, 

*  "  When  within  the  inclosure,  Hodson  observed  the  balcony  rest 
ing  on  the  Archway  of  Ingress  filled  with  the  followers  of  the  royal 
party,  many  with  arms.  Facing  it,  he  looked  up  calmly,  pointed  his 
carabine,  and  said,  '  The  first  man  that  moves  is  a  dead  man.1  The 
effect  was  instantaneous.  Not  a  hand  was  raised,  and  by  the  glance 
of  that  eye,  and  effect  of  that  voice,  every  disposition  to  interfere  by 
word  or  deed  was  quelled."  —  Note  by  a  friend,  who  afterwards  visited 
Humayoon's  Tomb  in  company  with  Lieut.  MacdowelL 


IDENTIFICATION   OF   THE   PRINCES.  351 

had  they  attacked  us,  but  cut  our  way  back,  and  very 
little  chance  of  doing  even  this  successfully.  Well,  there 
we  stayed  for  two  hours,  collecting  their  arms,  and  I 
assure  you  I  thought  every  moment  they  would  rush 
upon  us.  I  said  nothing,  but  smoked  all  the  time,  to 
show  I  was  unconcerned  ;  but  at  last,  when  it  was  all 
done,  and  all  the  arms  collected,  put  in  a  cart,  and  start 
ed,  Hodson  turned  to  me  and  said, '  We'll  go,  now.'  Very 
slowly  we  mounted,  formed  up  the  troop,  and  cautiously 
departed,  followed  by  the  crowd.  We  rode  along  quietly. 
You  will  say,  why  did  we  not  charge  them  ?  I  merely 
say,  we  were  one  hundred  men,  and  they  were  fully 
6,000.  I  am  not  exaggerating ;  the  official  reports  will 
show  you  it  is  all  true.  As  we  got  about  a  mile  off,  Hod- 
son  turned  to  me  and  said,  '  Well,  Mac,  we've  got  them 
at  last ; '  and  we  both  gave  a  sigh  of  relief.  Never  in 
my  life,  under  the  heaviest  fire,  have  I  been  in  such  im 
minent  danger.  Everybody  says  it  is  the  most  dashing 
and  daring  thing  that  has  been  done  for  years  (not  on 
my  part,  for  I  merely  obeyed  orders,  but  on  Hodson's, 
who  planned  and  carried  it  out).  Well,  I  must  finish  my 
story.  We  came  up  to  the  princes,  now  about  five  miles 
from  where  we  had  taken  them,  and  close  to  Delhi.  The 
increasing  crowd  pressed  close  on  the  horses  of  the  sowars, 
and  assumed  every  moment  a  more  hostile  appearance. 
'  What  shall  we  do  with  them  ? '  said  Hodson  to  me.  *  I 
think  we  had  better  shoot  them  here  ;  we  shall  never  get 
them  in.' 

"  We  had  identified  them  by  means  of  a  nephew  of  the 
King's  whom  we  had  with  us,  and  who  turned  King's  evi 
dence.  Besides,  they  acknowledged  themselves  to  be  the 
men.  Their  names  were  Mirza  Mogul,  the  King's  nephew 
and  head  of  the  whole  business ;  Mirza  Kishere  Sulta- 


352  EXECUTION   OF   SHAHZADAHS. 

met,  who  was  also  one  of  the  principal  rebels,  and  had 
made  himself  notorious  by  murdering  women  and  chil 
dren  ;  and  Abu  Bukt,  the  commander-in-chief  nominally, 
and  heir-apparent  to  the  throne.  This  was  the  young 
fiend  who  had  stripped  our  women  in  the  open  street,  and 
cutting  off  little  children's  arms  and  legs,  poured  the 
blood  into  their  mothers'  mouths ;  this  is  literally  the 
case.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost;  we  halted  the 
troop,  put  five  troopers  across  the  road  behind  and  in 
front.  Hodson  ordered  the  Princes  to  strip  and  get  again 
into  the  cart ;  he  then  shot  them  with  his  own  hand.  So 
ended  the  career  of  the  chiefs  of  the  revolt,  and  of  the 
greatest  villains  that  ever  shamed  humanity.  Before 
they  were  shot,  Hodson  addressed  our  men,  explaining 
\vho  they  were,  and  why  they  were  to  suffer  death ;  the 
effect  was  marvellous,  the  Mussulmans  seemed  struck 
with  a  wholesome  idea  of  retribution,  and  the  Sikhs 
shouted  with  delight,  while  the  mass  moved  off  slowly 
and  silently.  One  of  the  sowars  pointed  out  to  me  a 
man  running  rapidly  across  a  piece  of  cultivated  ground, 
with  arms  gleaming  in  the  sunlight.  I  and  the  sowar 
rode  after  him,  when  I  discovered  it  was  the  King's  favor 
ite  eunuch,  of  whose  atrocities  we  had  heard  so  much. 
The  sowar  cut  him  down  instantly,  and  we  returned,  well 
satisfied  that  we  had  rid  the  world  of  such  a  monster. 
It  was  now  four  o'clock  ;  Hodson  rode  into  the  city  with 
the  cart  containing  the  bodies,  and  had  them  placed  in 
the  most  public  street,  where  all  might  see  them.  Side 
by  side  they  lay  where,  four  months  before,  on  the  same 
spot,  they  had  outraged  and  murdered  our  women.  I 
went  quietly  home  with  the  troop,  nearly  dead,  having 
had  nothing  (except  water)  since  six  o'clock  the  previous 
night.  I  have  not  time  to  write  you  of  my  subsequent 


CAPTIVE   KING.  353 

adventures,  but  will  next  mail.  We  have  gained  a  great 
deal  of  Kvdog  for  this  business,  and  I  hear  are  to  be  re 
warded  in  some  way  or  other." 

Some  months  later  my  brother  wrote  with  ref 
erence  to  this  matter  :  — 

CAMP,  ON  THE  LEFT  BANK  OF  THE  GANGES, 
OPPOSITE  CAWNPOKE, 

Ftb.  12th,  1858. 

...  I  see  that  many  people  suppose  that  I  had  prom 
ised  the  old  King  his  life  after  he  was  caught.  Pray 
contradict  this.  The  promise  was  given  two  days  before, 
to  induce  him  to  leave  the  rebel  troops  and  return  to 
the  near  neighborhood  of  Delhi  within  reach.  General 
Wilson  refused  to  send  troops  in  pursuit  of  him,  and  to 
avoid  greater  calamities  I  then,  and  not  till  then,  asked 
and  obtained  permission  to  offer  him  his  wretched  life,  on 
the  ground,  and  solely  on  the  ground,  that  there  was 
no  other  way  of  getting  him  into  our  possession.  The 
people  were  gathering  round  him.  His  name  would 
have  been  a  tocsin  which  would  have  raised  the  whole  of 
Hindostan,  and  the  Rajahs  and  Rajpootana  in  the  south 
would  have  been  forced  to  have  joined  in  the  rising, 
which  would  then  have  been  universal.  Was  it  not 
better  to  get  rid  of  all  this,  and  secure  ourselves  from 
further  mischief  at  the  simple  cost  of  sparing  the  life  of 
an  old  man  of  ninety  ?  It  must  be  remembered,  too,  that 
we  had  no  troops  left  to  meet  any  further  augmentation 
of  our  enemies.  A  small  force  under  Colonel  Greathed 
was  with  difficulty  found,  some  days  later,  to  go  towards 
Agra ;  and  it  was  clear  to  me  then  (as  experience  has 
since  shown)  that  we  had  still  months  to  wait  for  rein 
forcements  from  home.  Here  is  February;  the  King 


354      BLAMED  FOR  SPARING  THE  KING. 

was  caught  in  September,  and  yet  up  to  this  present  day 
the  Coramander-in-Chief  has  not  been  able  to  send  a 
single  soldier  of  all  that  have  arrived  from  England  up 
as  far  as  Delhi ;  and  all  Rohilcund,  all  Oude,  a  great 
part  of  Central  India,  all  Bundelcund,  and  most  of 
Behar,  are  still  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Would  it 
have  been  wise  to  have  given,  in  addition  to  all  this,  so 
strong  an  incentive  to  combination,  to  the  warlike  men  of 
the  northwest,  as  they  would  have  had  in  the  person  of 
a  sacred  and  "  heaven-born  "  monarch,  dethroned,  wan 
dering,  and  homeless,  but  backed  by  a  whole  army  in 
rebellion  ?  I  am  blamed  for  it  now ;  but  knowing  that 
there  was  no  other  way  of  getting  him  into  our  power,  I 
am  quite  content  to  take  the  obloquy.  It  will  hereafter 
be  admitted  that  one  of  the  greatest  blows  was  struck  at 
the  root  of  the  rebellion  when  the  old  King  was  led  a 
captive  into  his  own  palace  on  the  21st  of  September, 
1857.*  Strange,  that  some  of  those  who  are  loudest 
against  me  for  sparing  the  King,  are  also  crying  out  at. 
my  destroying  his  sons.  "  Quousque  tandem  ? "  I  may 
well  exclaim.  But  in  point  of  fact,  I  am  quite  indifferent 
to  clamor  either  way.  I  made  up  my  mind  at  the  time 
to  be  abused.  I  was  convinced  I  was  right,  and  when  I 
prepared  to  run  the  great  physical  risk  of  the  attempt,  I 
was  equally  game  for  the  moral  risk  of  praise  or  blame. 
These  have  not  been,  and  are  not  times  when  a  man  who 

*  From  MR.  MONTGOMERY,  now  Chief  Commissioner  of  Oude. 

"  Sept.  29th. 

"Mr  DEAR  HODSON, —  All  honor  to  you  (and  to  your  'Horse') 
for  catching  the  King  and  slaying  his  sons.  I  hope  you  will  bag  many 
more !  In  haste, 

"  Ever  yours, 

"  K.  MONTGOMERY." 


DEFENCE    OF    PRINCES'   EXECUTION.  355 

would   serve  his  country  dare  hesitate  as  to  the  personal 
consequences  to  himself  of  what  he  thinks  his  duty. 

I  am  indebted  to  Sir  T.  Seaton  for  an  answer 
to  inquiries  addressed  to  my  brother,  which  never 
reached  him  :  — 

"  I  see  you  are  anxious  to  clear  up  the  two  i  vexed 
questions  :'  — Why  did  he  guarantee  the  life  of  the  King  ? 
Why  did  he  strip  the  princes  ?  He  guaranteed  the  life 
of  the  King,  because  he  was  ordered  to  do  so  by  General 
Wilson  ;  and  I  think  that  under  the  circumstances  it  was 
wise  and  prudent  (though  highly  distasteful  to  the  Gen 
eral),  for  it  enabled  us  to  get  hold  of  the  nominal  head  of 
the  great  rebellion,  and  to  secure  the  capture  of  those 
greater  scoundrels,  the  princes.  No  one  ever  thought 
out  here  of  asking  why  he  stripped  the  princes,  or  rather 
why  he  made  them  take  off  their  upper  garments.  It 
certainly  was  not  as  the  French  stupidly  assert,  '  pour  ne 
pas  gater  le  butin,'  for  if  the  upper  corresponded  with 
the  nether  clothes  in  which  the  bodies  were  laid  out,  they 
would  have  been  dear  at  a  shilling  the  lot.  He  made 
them  strip  off  their  upper  garments,  to  render  their  death 
and  subsequent  exposure  at  the  Kotwalla  more  impres 
sive  and  terrible.  Some  people  ask,  '  Why  did  he  shoot 
them  himself?'  To  this  I  will  reply  by  another  ques 
tion,  *  What  would  have  been  the  effect  on  that  vast 
crowd  of  a  single  moment's  hesitation  or  appearance  of 
hesitation  ? ' ' 

Before  this  chapter  closes,  I  will  insert  one  or 
two  anecdotes  and  descriptions  of  my  brother, 
from  letters  written  at  this  time  by  officers  before 
Delhi,  which  have  been  kindly  placed  at  my  dis- 


356      DESCRIPTION  OF  CAPTAIN  HODSON. 

posal.     They  will  help  to  fill  up  the  picture  of 
him,  which  may  be  drawn  from  his  own  diary. 

One  says  :  — 

"  The  way  Hodson  used  to  work  was  quite  miraculous. 
He  was  a  slighter  man  and  lighter  weight  than  I  am. 
Then  he  had  that  most  valuable  gift,  of  being  able  to  get 
refreshing  sleep  on  horseback.  I  have  been  out  with  him 
all  night  following  and  watching  the  enemy,  when  he  has 
gone  off  dead  asleep,  waking  up  after  an  hour  as  fresh 
as  a  lark  ;  whereas,  if  I  went  to  sleep  in  the  saddle,  the 
odds  were  I  fell  off  on  my  nose. 

"  He  was  the  very  perfection  of  a  '  free-lance,'  and 
such  an  Intelligence  Officer!  He  used  to  know  what  the 
rebels  had  for  dinner  in  Delhi. 

"  In  a  fight  he  was  glorious.  If  there  was  only  a  good 
hard  skrimmage  he  was  as  happy  as  a  king.  A  beautiful 
swordsman,  he  never  failed  to  kill  his  man  ;  and  the  way 
he  used  to  play  with  the  most  brave  and  furious  of  these 
rebels  was  perfect.  I  fancy  I  see  him  now,  smiling, 
laughing,  parrying  most  fearful  blows,  as  calmly  as  if  he 
were  brushing  off  flies,  calling  out  all  the  time,  '  Why, 
try  again,  now,'  '  What's  that  ?  '  '  Do  you  call  yourself  a 
swordsman  ? '  &c. 

"  The  way  that  in  a  pursuit  he  used  to  manage  his  hog- 
spear  was  miraculous.  It  always  seemed  to  me  that  he 
bore  a  charmed  life,  and  so  the  enemy  thought. 

"  His  judgment  was  as  great  as  his  courage,  and  the 
heavier  the  fire  or  the  greater  the  difficulty,  the  more 
calm  and  reflecting  he  became." 

Another  (Sir  T.  Seaton) :  — 

".You  know  that,  during  the  whole  of  the  terrible  siege 


HIS  AFFECTION  FOR  HIS   WIFE.  357 

of  Delhi,  we  lived  together  in  the  same  tent,  and,  except 
ing  while  on  duty,  we  were  never  separate.  It  was  there 
I  saw,  in  all  their  splendor,  his  noble  soldierly  qualities  ; 
never  fatigued,  never  downcast,  always  cool  and  calm, 
with  a  cheerful  countenance  and  a  word  of  encourage 
ment  for  every  one. 

"  I  used  often  to  say,  '  Here,  Hodson,  is  somebody 
else  coming  for  comfort.' 

"  It  was  there  I  learned  the  depth  and  intensity  of  his 
affection  for  his  wife  ;  like  the  man,  it  was  out  of  the 
common.  You  know  how  he  nursed  me  when  I  was 
wounded.  I  am  indebted  for  my  rapid  recovery,  in  a 
very  great  measure,  to  his  care  and  forethought ;  and  it 
was  whilst  lying  helpless  and  feeble  I  saw  that  the  brave 
and  stern  soldier  had  also  the  tenderness  of  a  woman  in 
his  noble  heart.  His  constant  care  was  to  prevent  Mrs. 
Hodson  from  feeling  any  anxiety  that  he  could  save  her  ; 
so  that,  whenever  he  went  out  on  any  expedition  that 
would  detain  him.  beyond  twenty-four  hours,  he  invaria 
bly  asked  me,  and  I  used  to  make  it  my  duty,  to  write  to 
Mrs.  Hodson  daily,  accounting  for  his  absence  and  giving 
such  details  as  I  could  of  his  doings. 

"  He  was  ever  ready  to  carry  out  my  wishes  and  aid 
me  with  his  best  knowledge,  skill,  and  courage.  He  sup 
ported  me  with  the  devotion  of  a  brother ;  never,  never 
shall  I  see  his  like  again." 

Another  says :  — 

"  He  has  wonderful  tact  in  getting  information  out  of 
the  natives,  and  divining  the  movements  of  the  enemy. 
He  is  scarcely  out  of  the  saddle  day  or  night,  for  not  only 
has  he  to  lead  his  regiment  and  keep  the  country  clear, 
but  being  Intelligence  Officer,  he  is  always  on  the  move 


358  NOTICES   OF  CAPTAIN  HODSON. 

to  gain  news  of  the  progress  of  affairs,  and  acts  and 
intentions  of  the  enemy. 

"  Even  when  he  might  take  rest  he  will  not,  but  will 
go  and  help  work  at  the  batteries,  and  expose  himself 
constantly,  in  order  to  relieve  some  fainting  gunner  or 
wounded  man." 

I  have  this  anecdote  from  another :  — 

u  In  the  camp  at  Delhi,  when  the  incessant  fatigue  to 
which  the  soldiers  were  exposed  forbade  the  strict  en 
forcement  of  the  continual  salute,  it  was  remarked  that 
Hodson  never  passed  down  the  lines  without  every  man 
rendering  to  him  that  mark  of  respect.  The  soldiers 
loved  him  as  their  own.  '  There  goes  that  'ere  Hodson,' 
said  a  drunken  soldier  as  he  cantered  down  the  lines ; 

*  he's  sure  to  be  in  everything ;  he'll  get  shot,  I  know  he 
will,  and  I'd  a  deal  rather  be  shot  myself;  we  can't  do 
without  him/  " 

I  venture  to  quote  from  Mr.  H.  Greathed's  Let 
ters  (published  by  his  widow)  some  further  notices 
of  my  brother  :  — 

"  Hod.^on  keeps  an  Argus  eye  on  the  rear  and  left 
flank,  and  is  always  ready  for  an  adventurous  ride.  I 
am  not  surprised  at  Gough  liking  him  ;  he  has  a  rare  gift 
of  brains  as  well  as  of  pluck  !  The  uniform  of  his  men, 

*  khakee '  tunics,  with  a  scarlet  sash  and  turban,  is  very 
picturesque. 

"  Hodson  certainly  the  most  wide-awake  soldier  in 
camp. 

"A  charge  of  cavalry  was  turned  by  a  few  musket  shots 
from  a  party  under  Hodson,  who  always  turns  up  in  mo 
ments  of  difficulty." 


NOTICES  OF  CAPTAIN  HODSON.  359 

Again,  speaking  of  him  while  absent  at  Roh- 
tuck,  August  19th  :  — 

"  We  have  no  further  intelligence  from  Hodson.  He 
is  employed  on  just  the  wild  work  he  likes,  and  will  be 
loth  to  return.  The  public  still  amuses  itself  with  giving 
his  regiment  new  names,  *  the  Aloobokharas '  and  '  Ring- 
tailed  Roarers '  are  the  last  I  have  heard  of. 

.  .  .  .  "  There  was  some  alarm  yesterday  about  Hod- 
son's  safety.  I  cannot  say  I  shared  the  feeling,  I  have 
such  confidence  in  his  audacity  and  resource. 

.  .  .  .  "  Hodson  is  quite  safe,  he  will  now  return  to 
camp,  and  after  being  in  for  an  hour,  he  will  be  seen 
looking  as  fresh,  clean-shaved,  and  spruce,  as  if  he  had 
never  left  it." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OPERATIONS     IN    THE      NEIGHBORHOOD      OF     DELHI. 

SHOWERS'S  COLUMN. SEATON'S  COLUMN. GUNGE- 
REE. PUTIALEE. MYNPOOREE. RIDE  TO  COM 
MAND  ER-IN-CHIEF'S  CAMP.  —  JUNCTION  or  FORCES. 

SHUMSHABAD. 

CAMP,  DELHI,  Sept.  26th. 

MY  letters  are  of  necessity  short  and  newsies?,  for  I  am 
scarcely  ever  able  to  sit  down  to  write  what  can  be  prop 
erly  called  a  letter.  Anything  so  mismanaged  as  the 
prize  property  has  been,  or  so  wasted,  I  never  saw  ;  so 
much  so,  that  I  look  upon  the  appointment  of  prize  agents 
at  all  as  a  simple  injustice  to  the  army,  i.  e.,  to  the  officers. 
Colonel  Seaton  has  given  up  the  prize  agency  in  disgust, 
and  I  refused  it  altogether ;  he  is  taking  you  a  real  trophy 
from  Delhi,  no  less  than  the  turquoise  armlet  and  signet 
rings  of  the  rascally  princes  whom  I  shot ;  not  actually 
worth  twenty  shillings,  but  I  know  they  will  be  prized  by 
you  and  the  dear  ones  at  home.  Tombs  declares  I  shall 
get  a  C.  B.  for  capturing  the  King,  &c.,  and,  between 
ourselves,  I  ought  to  have  anything  they  can  give  me,  for 
it  was  a  fearful  risk,  and,  I  must  say,  the  "  General's " 
share  in  it  was  about  as  meritorious  as  his  recognition  of 
the  service  was  gracious  !  but  you  will  see  he  will  get  the 
reward  ;  but  never  mind,  I  did  my  duty,  perhaps  some- 


CAPTURE  AND  ESCAPE  OF  ROYAL  FAMILY.      361 

thing  more,  and  have  got  the  reward  of  my  own  con 
science,  and  certainly  the  voice  of  the  army,  as  the  hero 
of  this  "  crowning  mercy,"  as  they  call  it. 

We  march  to-morrow  instead  of  on  the  20th,  as  we 
ought  to  have  done,  to  clear  out  some  of  the  hordes  at 
llumayoon's  Tomb.  I  disarmed  them  when  I  took  the 
princes,  and  collected  all  the  arms,  &c.,  into  one  spot, 
leaving  as  large  a  guard  as  I  could  spare,  and  yet  the 
"  General "  has  actually  never  sent  until  to-day  to  relieve 
the  one  or  secure  the  other,  and  now  only  at  my  urgent 
representation  !  We  shall  be  back  from  our  expedition 
in  four  or  five  days.  Colonel  Showers  commands. 

CAMP,  HUMAYOON'S  TOMB,  Sept.  28th.  —  I  have  been 
out  all  day  and  at  work,  varied  by  divers  summonses 
from  the  Brigadier,  and  by  such  very  amusing  duties 
as  packing  off  the  royal  family's  lower  branches  into 
Delhi. 

Poor  Greathed !  he  was,  indeed,  a  loss  to  every  one ! 
With  the  column  sent  out  here  (to  complete  with  1,500 
men  the  work  of  which  I  had  overcome  all  the  difficul 
ties  with  100),  a  young  civilian  was  sent  to  carry  on 
political  duties,  and  take  charge  of  the  different  mem 
bers  and  hangers-on  of  the  Royal  family.  In  an  hour  I 
had  got  possession  of  the  persons  of  seven  of  the  remain 
ing  sons  and  grandsons  of  the  King  who  were  "  wanted  ; " 
they  were  made  over,  according  to  orders,  to  this  civilian, 
and,  two  hours  afterwards,  all  had  escaped !  In  conse 
quence  of  this  we  are  halted  here,  and  parties  sent  out  in 
all  directions  to  recapture  the  fugitives. 

I  shall  try  to  get  down  in  the  Oudh  direction  to  join 
Napier  and  his  chief. 

I  confess  I  am  much  gratified  by  the  congratulations  I 
receive  on  all  sides  regarding  the  capture  of  the  King 
16 


362  REWARD. 

and  the  retribution  on  the  Shahzadaha ;  but  I  expect  no 
reward,  perhaps  not  even  thanks.  The  Government  will 
be  delighted  at  the  fact,  but  will  perhaps  pretend  a  reluc 
tance  to  the  judgment  having  been  effected,  which  they 
certainly  do  not  feel,  and  will  probably  throw  all  the  onus 
on  me.  To  tell  the  truth  (in  spite  of  all  the  praises  and 
prophecies  of  the  army),  I  expect  nothing  by  this  cam 
paign  but  my  brevet  majority,  and  that  was  due  to  me  for 
the  Punjaub  war. 

The  execution  of  the  princes  could  be  hardly  called 
one  of  "unresisting"  enemies,  since^they  were  surrounded 
by  an  armed  host,  to  whom  we  should  have  been  most 
unquestionably  sacrificed  if  I  had  hesitated  for  an  instant. 
It  was  they  or  ive,  and  I  recommend  those  who  might 
cavil  at  my  choice  to  go  and  catch  the  next  rebels  them 
selves  !  The  King  was  very  old  and  infirm,  and  had 
long  been  a  mere  tool,  a  name  in  the  hands  of  the  Shah 
zadahs,  Mirza  Mogul  in  particular  ;  moreover,  the  orders 
I  received  were  such  that  I  did  not  dare  to  act  on  the 
dictates  of  my  own  judgment  to  the  extent  of  killing  him 
when  he  had  given  himself  up  ;  but  had  he  attempted 
either  a  flight  or  a  rescue,  I  should  have  shot  him  down 
like  a  dog  ;  as  it  is,  he  is  the  lion  without  his  claws,  now 
his  villanous  heir-apparent  is  disposed  of.  I  must  be 
prepared  to  have  all  kinds  of  bad  motives  attributed  to 
me,  for  no  man  ever  yet  went  out  of  the  beaten  track 
without  being  wondered  at  and  abused ;  and  so  marked  a 
success  will  make  me  more  enemies  than  friends,  so  be 
prepared  for  abuse  rather  than  reward ;  for  myself  I 
do  not  care,  and  I  am  proud  to  say  that  those  whose  opin 
ion  I  value  most  highly  think  I  did  well  and  boldly. 

CAMP  NEAR  THE  KooTUB,  Sept.  29^. —  We  got  here 
so  late  to-day,  that,  before  our  tents  were  pitched  and 


RESIGNATION    OF   INTELLIGENCE   DEPARTMENT.  363 

washing  and  breakfast  over,  the  time  to  close  our  dak  has 
arrived.  Thanks  for  letters,  which  are  balm  to  my 
wounded  spirit,  vexed  as  I  am  to  find  that  even  here, 
in  the  field,  working  as  I  have  done,  and  successful  as  I 
have  been,  I  am  not  safe  from  the  malignant  influence  of 

—  and  his  myrmidons.  From  the  day  that  he  put • 

into  power  at  Delhi,  I  experienced  a  difficulty  never 
found  before  in  carrying  on  my  duties,  and  a  system  of 
backbiting  and  insinuation  which  could  never  have  ex 
isted,  if  it  had  not  been  encouraged,  if  not  engendered, 
by  listening  to.  This  meanness  et  id  genus  omne  has 
commenced,  and  has  decided  me  on  the  course  you  have 
so  long  urged,  namely,  to  give  up  the  Intelligence  De 
partment. 

I  have  done  quite  enough  to  establish  my  name  in  the 
army,  and  as  much  as  one  man  can  do.  We  return  to 
Delhi,  I  hope,  to-morrow,  for  we  have  done  little  enough 
by  leaving  it.  The  other  column,  which  went  out  across 
the  Jumna,  has  had  an  engagement  with  the  enemy  at 
Bolundshur,  and  thrashed  them  soundly.  This  will  open 
the  road  to  Cawnpore.  I  shall  write  to  Napier  to-day, 
to  see  if  he  can  get  my  regiment  sent  towards  Oudh,  or 
anywhere  near  him. 

CAMP,  DELHI,  Oct.  1st.  —  I  was  quite  unable  to  write 
yesterday,  as  we  did  not  return  here  and  get  under  cover 
till  after  dark.  I  have  to  march  again  to-morrow  towards 
Rewarree  with  another  column  under  Brigadier  Showers, 
a  most  gentlemanly  person  and  gallant  soldier,  but  sadly 
prolix  and  formal  in  all  his  arrangements,  thereby  spin 
ning  out  an  ordinary  march  to  the  dimensions  of  a  day's 
journey.  I  am  sorry  to  say  my  unlucky  ankle  gives  me 
more  pain  and  annoyance  than  before,  and  the  doctors 
tell  me  it  will  never  be  better  until  I  give  it  perfect  rest ; 


364  YEARNINGS  FOB  HOME. 

and  as  this  said  rest  is  perfectly  impossible,  I  must  bear 
it  as  patiently  as  I  can  ;  but  it  is  a  sad  drawback  to  my 
comfort  and  activity. 

You  will  rejoice  with  me  that  the  detachment  (of  Hod- 
son's  Horse)  under  Hugh  Gough,  who  were  sent  with 
the  column  across  the  Jumna,  behaved  extremely  well  in 
that  action  at  Bolundshur,  and  have  been  much  praised. 
I  am  very  glad,  indeed,  of  this  ;  it  is  a  great  thing  for  a 
new  regiment  to  be  successful  at  a  cheap  rate  in  its  first 
few  encounters  ;  it  gives  a  prestige  which  it  is  long  in 
losing,  and  gives  the  men  confidence  in  themselves  and 
their  leaders.  In  this  affair  our  loss  was  trifling,  though 
the  cavalry  were  principally  employed.  Poor  Sarel,  9th 
Lancers,  wounded  severely,  I  am  sorry  to  say.  I  fancy 
we  go  to  Goorgaon  and  Rewarree.  Whether  we  see  the 
enemy  is  doubtful,  and  it  may  be  merely  a  "military 
promenade,"  to  settle  the  minds  of  the  inhabitants.  I 
long  to  get  down  towards  Outram,  and  Oudh,  and  Napier. 

I  am  so  glad  you  have  written  home,  for  I  was  out  of 
the  way  when  the  "  Overland  mail "  left,  and  we  none  of 
us  knew  of  its  being  dispatched.  It  was  a  sad  fatality 
which  attended  the  two  last,  both  from  and  to  England. 
England  !  How  the  writing  the  very  name  even  fills  me 
with  sweet  home  memories  and  home  longings ;  and 
though,  during  the  last  five  years  and  three  quarters,  my 
life  has  been  more  blessed  than  I  ever  dreamed  it  possi 
ble  that  life  could  be,  still  there  are  times,  and  they  in 
crease  in  frequency,  when  my  heart  yearns  for  all  its 
dear  earlier  ties.  Yes,  we  must  get -home  next  year, 
somehow,  even  if  we  have  to  live  on  barley  bannocks. 

I,  and  most  other  people,  considered  that  I  and  my 
party  had  a  right  to  all  we  found  on  the  King  and 
princes  ;  but  the  General,  to  whom  I  referred  the  ques- 


EOYAL   ARMS.  365 

tion,  thought  otherwise ;  so  I  gave  up  all  except  some  of 
the  personal  arms  of  the  princes  (those  of  the  King  were 
taken  by  the  General).  The  swords  which  I  secured, 
thanks  to  the  officers  assembled  when  the  arms  were 
made  over,  are  historically  most  valuable.  One  was 
worn  by,  and  bears  the  name  of,  Jehangire,  and  the  other 
is  stamped  with  the  seal  of  Nadir  Shah !  They  are  sin 
gular  and  interesting  trophies,  or  rather  relics,  of  the 
house  of  Timour  the  Tartar. 

DELHI,  Oct.  2d.  —  I  have  remained  behind  the  force 
for  a  day,  in  order  to  settle  the  business  and  pay  up  and 
discharge  my  Intelligence  Establishment.  I  am  so  busy 
that  my  letter  will  of  necessity  be  a  short  one.  My  hav 
ing  been  out  in  camp  has  prevented  my  getting  at  the 
people  and  officers,  who  are  all  in  the  city  and  palace. 
We,  that  is,  the  cavalry,  artillery,  and  some  infantry,  are 
outside  on  the  glacis  of  the  city,  and  much  pleasanter  it 
is,  I  think  ;  especially  as  I  have  good  shelter  under  the 
roof  of  an  old  mosque  in  a  serai,  where  we  can  all  put  up 
together  without  jostling.  I  feel  quite  a  free  man  now. 
I  have  no  work  to  do  but  my  regiment ;  though,  truth  to 
tell,  that  is  quite  enough  for  one  man,  even  with  so  able 
and  willing  an  assistant  as  Macdowell.  I  do  not  reckon 
on  much  fighting  where  we  are  going,  and  the  weather  is 
now  getting  very  tolerable.  The  country  we  are  going 
into  is  also  much  healthier  than  Delhi,  and  I  expect 
much  benefit  from  the  change  of  air  and  quiet  marching. 
After  our  return  I  shall  get  away,  if  but  for  a  week  ; 
and  then  my  anxiety  is  to  join  Napier,  wherever  he 
may  be. 

DELHI  DISTRICT,  Oct.  3d.  —  I  was  yesterday  four  coss 
from  Bullnagurh,  and  the  Rajah  actually  came  out  in  his 
carriage ;  yet  I  had  strict  orders  not  to  interfere  with 


366  GOORGAON. 

him,  so  the  force  marched  off  in  another  direction  this 
morning  without  striking  a  blow,  though  the  place  was 
full  of  the  Rajah's  armed  retainers  and  fugitive  Pandies 
from  Delhi,  and  they  ought  all  to  have  been  extermi 
nated.  The  consequence  is,  he  will  give  us  trouble  here 
after.*  To-day  we  struck  off  to  the  right  to  this  place 
(marching  at  Brigadier  Showers's  favorite  pace  of  six 
miles  in  five  hours),  and  go  on  to-morrow  through  Goor- 
gaon  to  a  place  called  Rewarree,  where  one  Toli  Ram,  a 
farmer  of  Government  revenue  in  better  times,  but  who 
now  "  affectionates  "  independent  authority,  has  collected 
a  force  round  his  fortlet  of  some  4,000  to  5,000  men,  and 
shows  fight ;  but  again  I  opine  we  shall  have  a  tedious 
march  for  our  pains.  I  grieve  daily  in  all  bitterness  for 
poor  Nicholson's  death.  He  was  a  man  such  as  one 
rarely  sees  ;  next  to  dear  Sir  Henry,  our  greatest  loss. 

CAMP,  GOORGAON,  Oct.  4th.  —  Even  the  camp  before 
Delhi  (so  long  our  abode  that  I  write  it  mechanically) 
was  more  favorable  for  letter-writing  than  our  present 
more  peaceful  but  more  moving  life.  We  started  at 
three  A.  M.  and  arrived  here  about  nine.  I  had  then  to 
go  through  the  village  or  town  with  the  Brigadier,  and 
it  was  noon  before  we  got  a  tent  pitched  and  breakfast 
ready ;  before  I  had  finished  I  was  summoned  by  Show 
ers  to  give  him  some  information  as  to  some  "  Moofsids ; " 
and  now  at  two  P.  M.,  though  I  am  still  unwashed  and  un 
shorn,  I  am  ordered  to  be  ready  at  three  with  a  party  to 
proceed  to  punish  some  refractory  villages  a  few  miles  off. 
I  shall  be  back,  I  trust,  at  dark,  to  dinner  and  bed,  for 

we  march  again  at  midnight.     Tell the  swords  I 

have  kept  are  beautiful,  and  historically  most  valuable. 

*  So  he  did,  but  ultimately  gave  himself  up,  and  was  hanged  by 
the  authorities  in  Delhi.  —  Ed 


PATHONDHEE.  *\  367 

It  was  like  parting  with  my  teeth  to  give  up  tho&e  to  the 
General  ;  I  should  not  have  cared  so  much  if  Ke  had 
done  anything  towards  the  winning  them.  It  will  be 
something  hereafter  to  wear  a  sword  taken  from  the\last 
of  the  House  of  Timour,  which  had  been  girt  round  the 
waists  of  the  greatest  of  his  predecessors  ;  if  I  ever|>art 
with  it,  it  shall  be  "  in  a  present,"  as  mine  O.  would  say, 
to  our  good  Queen  !  She  ought  to  give  me  her  own 
Cross  for  it ;  and  that's  a  fact,  though  I  say  it ! 

Oct.  oth,  3  A.  M.  —  We  got  back  last  night  at  dark,  from 
our  visit  of  retribution  to  Dholkote,  having  "polished  off" 
a  goodly  number  of  rebels  from  Irregular  Cavalry  Regi 
ments,  and  others  who  came  out  armed  to  the  teeth,  and 
making  great  demonstration  of  attack,  but  turned  of 
course  when  we  charged.  Had  we  not  absurdly  been 
sent  out  in  the  afternoon,  instead  of  morning,  so  that  it 
got  too  dark  for  work,  we  should  have  cleared  the  place 
entirely.  I  had  a  most  kind  letter  of  congratulation  from 

yesterday.  He  seems  very  ill,  poor  fellow  !  How 

thankful  I  am  that  my  health  stands  work  so  well ;  not 
that  I  do  not  feel  it ;  and  it  will  tell  more  still  some  day. 
I  question  whether  there  is  a  single  one  of  us,  however 
strong  or  unwounded,  whose  constitution  does  not  pay  for 
the  Siege  of  Delhi.  The  weather  is  getting  very  pleas 
ant,  except  in  the  middle  of  the  day  ;  but  what  a  contrast 
to  the  climate  of  the  Punjaub !  Many  thanks  to  Lord 
William  for  his  offer  of  horses.  I  only  wish  I  had  the 
power  of  using  them,  but  there  is  no  chance,  I  fear,  of  my 
getting  to  Simla,  though  I  may  to  Umbala.  I  hear  Gen 
eral  Wilson  has  gone  to  Meerut,  and  General  Penny 
come  to  Delhi  in  his  stead. 

PATHONDHEE,  Oct.  5th,  noon.  —  I  add  a  few  lines  to 
rny  letter  of  this  morning  to  say  that  all  is  safe  and  well. 


368  TOLL  RAM. 

Nothing  has  occurred  but  a  skirmish  with  our  advanced 
guard  and  some  Sowars  of  Toli  Ram's,  who  came,  I 
honestly  believe,  in  all  good  faith,  to  bring  an  offer  of 
submission  ;  but  the  business  was  bothered  by  mutual 
distrust,  so  they  turned,  fired  at  our  advance,  and  bolted 
at  speed,  my  men  after  them  as  hard  as  they  could  go. 
They  brought  back  about  a  dozen  horses  whose  riders 
they  had  disposed  of ;  very  acceptable  they  are  too,  for 
"  mounting  "  my  men  is  my  greatest  difficulty.  We  have 
made  a  good  bag  of  the  Irregular  Cavalry  rascals  during 
the  last  few  days,  —  among  them  a  native  officer  of  the 
9th  Irregular  Cavalry,  who  deserted  at  Delhi,  (selling 
Chamberlain  a  pretty  considerable  bargain  too,)  was 
caught  and  shot.  Seaton  will  rejoice  at  this.  General 
Penny  reigns  at  Delhi. 

There  is  no  chance  of  my  regiment  being  stationary 
this  cold  weather,  I  imagine,  for  the  country  is  still  in 
a  very  unsettled  state,  and  will  be  so  for  a  long  time  to 
come. 

CAMP,  REWARREE,  Oct.  6th.  —  We  arrived  here,  after 
a  tediously  protracted  march,  at  eleven  this  morning,  only 
to  find  my  prediction  verified,  that  the  birds  would  be 
flown  and  the  nest  empty.  Mr.  Toli  Ram  bolted  yester 
day,  and  left  only  an  empty  fort  and  his  guns  b'ehind  him  ; 
in  good  hands  it  would  have  given  us  considerable  trou 
ble,  and  he  was  evidently  a  clever  fellow,  and  had  adroitly 
and  promptly  contrived  so  as  to  be  first  in  the  field,  should 
our  power  have  ceased.  We  found  extensive  prepara 
tions,  and  large  workshops  for  the  completion  of  military 
equipments  of  all  kinds,  guns,  gun-carriages,  gunpowder, 
accoutrements,  and  material  of  all  kinds.  He  had  al 
ready  done  much,  and  in  a  couple  of  months  his  position 
would  have  been  so  strong  as  to  have  given  him  the  com- 


TOLI  EAM.  369 

mand  of  all  the  surrounding  country,  as  well  as  the  rich 
town  and  entrepot  of  Rewarree,  close  to  the  walls  of  his 
fort.  Had  our  empire  fallen,  he  would  have  mastered  all 
the  surrounding  villages  and  districts,  and  probably  ex 
tended  his  power  on  all  sides,  and  founded  a  "  Raj  "  like 
that  of  Puttiala  or  Jheend,  to  fall  in  its  turn  before  the 
(then)  newly  aroused  energies  of  the  Sikhs.  At  the  same 
time  he  was  prepared,  if  we  won  the  day,  to  profess  that 
he  had  done  all  this  solely  in  our  interests,  and  to  preserve 
the  district  for  us  from  the  Goojur  population.  This  is 
now  his  line  of  defence.  Showers  yesterday  sent  to  tell 
him  that  if  he  would  come  in  and  give  himself  up,  as 
well  as  his  guns  and  arms,  he  should  be  treated  on  his 
merits.  This  he  would  not  do,  and  has  eventually  sealed 
his  fate  by  bolting.  The  extent  of  his  warlike  prepara 
tions  is  too  obviously  the  result  of  his  really  hostile,  than 
of  his  professedly  friendly,  intentions.  I  do  not  know- 
where  we  go  next ;  back  to  Delhi,  I  trust,  when  I  hope 
to  find  General  Penny  willing  to  forward  my  wishes  by 
sending  me  on  to  join  the  army.  It  will  spoil  my  new 
regiment  to  keep  it  on  mere  police  duty. 

CAMP,  REWARREE,  Oct.  1th.  —  We  have  been  all  day 
in  the  saddle,  wandering  about  distant  villages,  but  we 
did  not  see  an  enemy,  and  the  inhabitants  seemed  very 
glad  to  see  us,  for  the  runaway  rebels  had  plundered 
every  place  they  passed  through.  The  whole  body  of 
horsemen  who  were  here  up  to  two  days  before,  fled  in 
all  directions  when  they  heard  of  our  approach,  (though 
their  numbers  were  immense,  they  say  7,000  to  8,000,) 
and  now,  ride  where  we  will, -in  any  direction  for  fifteen 
miles  round  Rewarree,  not  an  armed  man  is  to  be  seen. 

Only  this  morning  we  heard  of  the  capture  of  Luck- 
now,  dimmed  by  the  death  of  General  Neill.  Are  all 

16  * 


370  DEATH  OF  NEILL. 

our  victories  to  be  purchased  at  the  costly  price  of  her 
best  and  bravest?  Even  I,  loving  my  profession  as  I  tlo, 
a  "  soldier  to  the  backbone,"  as  Sir  C.  Napier  used  to  say, 
sicken  at  the  remembrance  of  the  good  and  brave  and 
noble  who  have  fallen.  Poor  Neill !  he  is  a  loss  indeed. 
I  trust  our  dear  friend  has  escaped.  I  looked  tremblingly 
through  the  list,  and  rejoiced  to  find  the  name  of  Napier 
not  there.  And  now  for  matters  of  the  lower  (surely  the 
lowest)  world.  I  have  drawn  no  pay  either  for  the  A. 
Q.  M.  Generalship  or  my  regiment,  except  an  advance  of 
5001.  for  current  expenditure.  I  have  as  yet  been  able 
to  get  no  pay  abstracts  passed  ;  and,  indeed,  such  is  the 
confusion  of  all  things,  from  the  want  of  some  central 
authority,  that  no  one  knows  where,  or  by  whom,  we  are 
to  be  paid  ;  so  I  have  to  draw  money  for  rny  men  "  on 
account,"  to  be  settled  hereafter ;  as  yet,  however,  I  take 
care  that  it  shall  not  exceed  a  third,  or  at  utmost  half 
their  pay,  to  be  safely  within  the  mark.  Men  and  horses 
cannot  live  on  "  nothing  a  day  and  find  themselves,"  and 
any  regular  office- work  is  utterly  impossible  while  we  are 
kept  so  perpetually  in  the  saddle.  It  is  rather  hard  on  a 
new  regiment,  "  raised  on  service,"  —  and  a  little  hard  on 
their  commandant  too,  —  but  all  will  come  straight  in  the 
end,  I  doubt  not.  I  thought  I  mentioned  that  when  we 
went  to  the  Kootub  the  first  time  with  Colonel  Showers, 
I  secured  the  rest  of  the  King's  sons  and  grandsons  at 
Humayoon's  Tomb  ;  but  the  whole  were  most  discredita 
bly  allowed  to  escape  by  the  young  civilian  sent  out  with 
the  force ;  or,  as  he  says,  by  the  Brigadier  ;  but  it  was 
his  business,  and  not  the  Brigadier's.  I  also  found  out  a 
lot  of  silver  and  money,  worth,  I  should  think,  20,000  or 
30,000  rupees,  and  20  or  30  elephants  ;  all  which  goes 
to  swell  the  prize  money.  We  ought  to  have  a  good  pro- 


PRIZE   MONEY.  371 

portionate  sum  each,  for  there  has  been  an  immense  deal 
of  property  taken  altogether,  I  should  think  ;  but  the 
want  of  care  and  management  will  lessen  it  considerably, 
As  a  specimen,  —  when  Seaton  was  prize  agent,  (and 
they  could  not  have  found  a  better  or  more  upright,)  a 
quantity  of  property  of  all  descriptions  was  brought  in 
and  put  on  the  "  chiboutra  "  in  front  of  the  house  he  was 
in.  He  immediately  sent  to  ask  the  General  either  to 
appoint  a  place  to  stow  it  in,  or  for  a  guard  to  put  over 
it.  The  answer  was  in  General  Wilson's  usually  brusque 
style.  "  He  had  no  guard  to  spare,  and  Colonel  Seaton 
must  secure  the  property  as  he  could."  Colonel  Beaton's 
reply  was  to  resign  the  prize  agency.  He  could  not  well 
do  otherwise  after  this  and  other  specimens. 

Oct.  8th.  —  I  go  on  an  expedition  early  to-morrow 
morning  to  some  villages,  and  shall  be  too  late  back 
for  writing. 

Oct.  llth.  —  Only  three  words  to  say  that  I  am  safe 
and  well.  I  cannot  ascertain  whether  we  go  back  direct 
to  Delhi,  or  by  Jhujjur,  to  annex  the  Nawab's  country. 
Everything  is  perfectly  quiet  here,  and  the  weather  is 
really  cold  in  the  mornings  :  we  shall  all  improve  by 
the  change,  though  fever  is  very  prevalent  amongst  the 
natives.  The  Europeans  are  gaining  strength  daily. 

CAMP,  JATOO  SANA,  Oct.  loth.  —  We  shall  be  at 
Jhujjur,  I  believe,  in  a  couple  of  days ;  where  part  of 
General  Cortland's  force  and  the  Jummoo  troops  will 
meet  us,  and  they  will,  I  fancy,  be  left  in  occupation, 
and  we  return  to  Delhi,  where  I  hear  a  force  under 
General  Penny  is  to  be  formed  to  go  towards  Rohilcund. 
It  is  more  than  probable  that  we  shall  accompany  him. 
If  I  am  allowed  to  go  to  a  station  to  form  my  regiment, 
I  shall  certainly  try  for  Urnbala.  The  bazaars  at  Mee- 


372  DADREE. 

rut,  Cawnpore,  &c.,  are  all  destroyed,  and  I  could  get 
nothing  I  wanted.  Here  I  am  interrupted  by  an  order 
to  start  on  a  "  dour"  which  will  keep  us  out  till  mid 
night,  if  not  longer. 

Oct.  \kth. —  My  expectations  of  yesterday  were  ful 
filled,  and  we  did  not  return  till  midnight  to  dinner, 
having  been  in  the  saddle,  without  a  halt,  since  3  p.  M. 
Some  rascals  had  chosen  to  go  and  make  free  with  the 
grain,  &c.,  left  behind  in  Toli  Ram's  fort  at  Rampoora, 
outside  Rewarree,  as  soon  as  our  last  detachment  had 
come  away ;  so  I  was  sent  back  to  disturb  their  opera 
tions.  Unfortunately  Colonel  Showers  was  too  long  in 
making  up  his  mind  to  send  us,  and  though  we  marched 
at  the  rate  of  more  than  seven  miles  in  an  hour,  it  was 
dark  before  we  came  up  with  the  tail  of  the  party,  just 
as  they  were  decamping  with  their  booty ;  so  we  only 
accounted  for  about  thirty  or  forty.  I  was  very  weary, 
so  stayed  behind  for  a  few  hours'  rest,  the  column  having 
marched  at  2  A.  M.  to  Nahur,  on  the  road  to  Dadree, 
where  we  are  to  be  joined  by  a  portion  of  General  Cort- 
land's  force,  and  the  Dick  Lawrence  Invincibles  from 
Rohtuck.  We  then  move  on  Jhujjur,  but  not  the  small 
est  prospect  of  opposition, — all  the  masses  of  Rauglmr 
and  other  horsemen  melting  away  at  our  approach.  I 
have  written  to  Chamberlain,  as  Adjutant-General,  to  get 
me  a  couple  of  months  to  collect,  complete,  and  clothe 
the  regiment.  At  all  events,  if  we  cannot  be  spared, 
I  have  begged  that  the  whole  regiment  may  be  kept 
together,  and  not  scattered  piecemeal  over  the  country, 
as  it  is  now. 

CAMP,  DADREE,  Oct.  IQth.  —  The  Jhujjur  Nawab 
has,  or  will  give  himself  up ;  so  not  a  shot  will  be  fired, 
for  all  the  swarms  of  Irregular  Cavalry  have  dispersed 


"DIAMOND   RINGS."  373 

to  their  homes,  or  rather  to  the  hills  and  jungles,  for 
shelter  and  security.  Colonel  Greathed's  column  has 
reached  Agra,  and  there  had  a  fight ;  a  regular  surprise, 
—  our  people  being  attacked  while  at  breakfast !  How 
ever,  the  enemy  were  thoroughly  thrashed  eventually, 
and  lost  camp  and  guns.  Poor  French,  of  the  Lancers, 
is  the  only  officer  whose  name  I  have  heard  as  killed. 
A  report  has  reached  me  from  Simla  that  you  have 
got  some  magnificent  diamond  rings,  &c.,  taken  at  Delhi. 
This  is  rather  good,  considering  the  only  rings  I  sent  you 
were  the  princes',  and  not  worth  twenty  rupees  altogether, 
and  the  only  "  diamonds "  were  in  that  little  broach  I 
bought  from  a  sowar  more  than  a  month  before  Delhi 
was  taken,  —  so  much  for  the  veracity  of  your  good- 
natured  friends  at  Simla !  It  is  too  rich.  I  like  Mac- 
dowell  increasingly,  —  he  is  so  thoroughly  honest  and 
gentlemanly,  and  brave  as  a  lion.  In  Wise,  too,  I  am 
fortunate ;  and  Wells  is  a  fat,  good-tempered,  willing-to- 
work  school-boy.  We  do  very  well  indeed  together,  and 
I  have  profited  by  past  experience,  (and  perhaps  the 
natural  result  of  increased  age  and  knowledge  of  the 
wrorld,)  but  things  are  very  different  now  and  then. 

We  were  waked  up  at  midnight,  and  got  to  our  camp 
ing  ground  at  1 1  A.  M.,  and  there  found  neither  tents  nor 
breakfast.  We  march  on  to  Jhujjur  early  to-morrow. 
The  Nawab  has  made  his  submission,  and  we  have 
nothing  to  do  but  receive  it  and  move  on. 

CAMP,  KUNOUND,  Oct.  19th.  —  We  left  Dadree  at 
1  A.  M.  yesterday,  and  marched  ten  miles  to  Jhujjur, 
found  the  force  dispersed  and  fled,  and  took  possession 
of  the  (very  nice)  fort,  with  heaps  of  guns  and  ammu 
nition.  My  men  were  out  after  the  fugitives  till  half- 
past  ten.  At  noon  we  marched  again  (the  6th  Dragoon 


374  PROSPECT   OF  JUSTICE. 

Guards  and  my  regiment),  under  Colonel  distance,  to 
Nahur,  twenty-four  miles,  which  we  reached  at  sunset. 
At  3  A..  M.  this  morning  we  came  on  here,  seventeen 
miles,  and  took  one  of  the  strongest  forts  I  have  seen, 
with  fourteen  guns,  some  very  heavy  ones,  and  five  lacs 
of  rupees,  which,  alas  !  is  to  be  considered  Government, 
not  prize  property.  I  was  only  out  of  my  saddle  for  one 
hour  yesterday,  from  one  in  the  morning  till  sunset,  and 
then  only  to  get  some  cold  food  under  a  tree !  But  I 
am  quite  well  and  strong,  much  better  than  I  was  at 
Delhi ;  and  as  Colonel  Custance  and  his  officers  are 
remarkably  agreeable  gentlemanlike  people,  we  have 
had  the  most  really  pleasant  days  since  leaving  Delhi. 
The  worst  of  this  raid  is  that  it  takes  me  from  all  chance 
of  getting  away  for  a  few  days  until  our  return. 

KUNOUND,  Oct.  20th.  —  I  have  just  had  a  very  nice 
and  welcome  letter  from ,  dated  Calcutta,  5th  Sep 
tember.  He  had  had  a  long  talk  about  me  with  Mr. 
Talbot,  who  told  him  that  General  Anson's  representa 
tions  had  done  much  good,  and  that  it  was  admitted  on 
all  hands  that  my  exculpation  in  re  the  Guides  was  com 
plete,  and  that  no  higher  or  more  flattering  testimonials 
were  ever  seen ;  so  that,  please  God,  I  shall  be  righted  at 
last ;  and  justice  is  all  I  want.  I  leave  those  who  in 
jured  me  to  the  punishment  of  their  own  conscience,  and 
have  no  desire  that  their  sins  should  be  visited  upon  them 
more  than  that.  God  saw  that  I  was  too  proud  and 
happy  at  having  gained  the  highest  object  of  my  worldly 
ambition,  and  so  chastened  me,  that  now  mere  earthly 
honors  or  success  are  becoming  gradually  of  less  impor 
tance  to  me.  To  go  home  with  an  untarnished  name, 
and  to  get  the  repose  both  of  body  and  mind  which 
home  alone  can  give,  is  now  the  climax  of  my  desires. 


SICK  MEN  AND   HORSES.  375 

This  is  a  very  healthy  country,  but  sandy,  and,  no 
doubt,  at  times  fearfully  hot;  even  to-day  there  is  a  hot 
wind  blowing,  and  yet  by  midnight  it  will  be  freezing ! 

CAMP,  KUNOUND,  Oct.  21st.  —  Another  long  day  with 
out  a  dak.  I  have  "betwitted"  Captain  Trench,  who 
has  charge  of  the  Post-office,  for  taking  more  care  of 
himself  than  he  does  of  us ;  but  of  course  he  denies  the 
soft  impeachment  in  toto.  I  begin  to  despair  of  getting 
back  to  Delhi,  as  we  do  not  march  hence  till  the  23d,  and 
even  then  it  is  uncertain  in  what  direction  we  go.  Au 
reste,  I  am  not  sorry  as  it  is,  for  my  men  and  horses  were 
beginning  to  suffer.  I  had  this  morning  thirty-eight  men 
and  forty-three  horses  sick !  If  Captain  Fenwick  is  still 
at  Simla,  will  you  ask  him  if  he  can  get  me  one  of  the 
new  pattern  saddles  he  introduced  into  the  9th  Irregular 
Cavalry  ?  I  will  gladly  pay  the  cost  and  carriage,  and 
thank  him  into  the  bargain.  Saddles  are  my  greatest 
difficulty  in  getting  my  regiment  into  order.  I  am  doing 
tolerably  in  the  way  of  horses,  and  gradually  remounting 
the  men,  who  came  down  badly  horsed,  with  captured 
cattle.  The  swords  also  are  better  than  they  were,  from 
the  same  source.  My  ankle  gives  me  so  much  pain  that 
I  have  been  forced  to  take  to  a  small  pony  to  ride  even 
about  camp,  so  as  to  avoid  walking  even  for  fifty  yards. 

Oct.  2'2d.  —  We  march  to-night  towards  Rewarree, 
and  shall  get  there  on  the  24th ;  from  thence  a  part  goes 
to  Goorgaon,  and  waits  the  arrival  of  the  larger  portion 
of  the  troops  which  are  to  go  into  the  Mewattee  country, 
and  punish  some  rascals  who  have  plundered  the  large 
town  of  Sonah.  The  Brigadier  is  planning  a  series  of 
mano3uvres,  by  which  he  intends  to  surround  and  capture 
4,000  Mewattees.  I  shall  be  very  much  surprised  if  we 
see  one  of  that  interesting  race ! 


376  SEPARATION   OF   REGIMENT. 

I  fear  that  if  my  men  form  part  of  the  manoeuvring 
party,  we  shall  not  get  to  Goorgaon  for  six  or  seven  days, 
or  perhaps  ten,  but  I  hope  for  the  direct  route.  In  either 
case,  as  we  shall  do  nothing,  I  would  rather  do  it  with  as 
little  fatigue  to  man  and  horse  as  possible.  The  detached 
state  of  this  regiment  is  enough  to  ruin  it.  Three  troops 
are  at  Agra,  or  thereabouts,  under  Hugh  Gough ;  the 
sick  and  depot  at  Delhi,  and  portions  of  five  troops  here ; 
but  it  seriously  increases  the  difficulty  of  managing  a 
totally  new  regiment,  and  it  is  hardly  fair  either  to  the 
men  or  to  the  commanding  officer.  I  have  remonstrated, 
but,  I  suppose,  with  very  little  effect,  as  I  have  had  no 
answer.  I  trust,  indeed,  I  may  get  all  together  and  go 
towards  Oudh. 

Oct.  23d.  —  To-day  we  still  halt,  and  I  hear  a  rumor 
that  on  our  return  we  go  on  to  Agra.  My  other  troops 
are  on  their  way  to  Cawnpore,  so  that,  I  think,  there  is 
every  chance  of  my  getting  that  way  too.  However 
personally  I  might  wish  to  be  quiet  at  Umbala  for  a 
time,  I  cannot  ask  not  to  be  sent  on  one  of  two  expedi 
tions  with  the  same  end,  and  unquestionably  for  our  best 
interests.  Oudh,  where  Napier  is  in  power,  is  the  best 

field  open.  Tell he  may  unhesitatingly  contradict 

the  story  about  the  rupees.  It  was  born  in  Delhi,  and 
was  partly  the  cause  of  General  Wilson's  bad  behavior 
to  me ;  the  money,  60,000/.,  was  brought  to  me  late  one 
night  by  the  men,  who  had  been  desired  (as  Colonel 
Seaton  will  corroborate)  to  secure  prize  property  for  him 
and  the  other  agents.  We  marched  at  daybreak  next 
morning,  and  I  had  only  time  to  make  it  over  to  Mac- 
do  well  to  see  it  locked  up  in  the  regimental  chest  for 
safety  before  we  started.  When  I  returned,  three  or 
four  days  afterwards,  a  story  had  been  circulated  by  the 


SLANDEROUS   STORIES.  377 

native  who  had  disgorged  the  coin,  that  I  had  kept  the 
money  for  myself!  Of  course  the  very  day  I  returned  it 
was,  with  heaps  of  other  things,  made  over  to  the  agents. 
And  so  stories  go  in  this  world.  The  amount  of  petty 
jealousy  excited  by  what  my  friends  call  my  "  successes  " 
is  beyond  belief.  The  capture  of  the  King  and  his  sons, 
however  ultimately  creditable,  has  caused  me  more  envy 
and  ill-will  than  you  would  believe  possible,  but  I  have 
had  too  much  experience  of  humanity,  during  the  last 
few  years,  to  care  for  envy  now ;  and,  conscious  as  I  am 
of  my  own  rectitude  of  purpose  at  least,  however  I  may 
err  in  judgment,  I  go  on  my  way  rejoicing. 

CAMP,  PATONDHEE,  Oct.  27th.  —  I  am  indeed  most 
humbly  and  earnestly  grateful  to  the  good  God  who  has 
so  mercifully  spared  *  what  was  so  infinitely  more  pre 
cious  to  me  than  life  itself;  and  I  do  feel  how  entirely 
our  hearts  should  be  filled  with  gratitude  to  Him  for  the 
bountiful  mercies  which  we  mutually  and  individually 
have  experienced  at  His  hands  during  the  past  year : 
the  preservation  of  us  both  from  such  perils  ;  my  reem- 
ployment  in  an  honorable  position ;  my  ability  to  do  such 
good  service  to  the  country  at  such  a  crisis ;  the  preser 
vation  of  health  in  such  a  time  of  exposure ;  my  beloved 
wife's  power  and  will  to  tend  the  wounded,  and  succor 
the  distressed ;  my  complete,  though  tardy,  vindication 
from  unjust  charges ;  my  almost  assured  freedom  from 
debt ;  —  all  these  mercies  are  almost  more  than  my  full 
heart  can  bear,  and  I  sink  on  my  knees  in  humble  grati 
tude  at  the  foot  of  His  throne  who  has  done  such  wonder 
ful  things  for  us.  May  He  crown  all  other  blessings  by 
granting  us  a  safe  reunion. 

*  Referring  to  his  wife's  almost  miraculous  escape,  when  the  horse 
on  which  she  was  riding  fell  over  a  precipice  and  was  killed.  —  Ed. 


378  BUYING  CATTLE. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  letters  that 
Hodson's  Horse  had,  by  this  time,  acquired  such 
proportions  that  they  admitted  of  being  divided. 
One  detachment,  under  Lieut.  Gough,  had  been 
sent  with  Colonel  Greathed's  column  towards 
Agra,  and  afterwards  joined  Sir  Colin  Camp 
bell's  force,  and  took  part,  with  much  distinc 
tion,  in  the  final  relief  of  Lucknow  by  Sir  Colin 
and  Sir  James  Outram. 

The  main  body,  with  their  commandant,  ac 
companied  Brigadier  Showers,  and  were  of  great 
service  in  anticipating  the  movements  and  cut 
ting  off  the  retreat  of  the  flying  enemy,  as  well 
as  in  scouring  the  country  and  bringing  in  sup 
plies.  Their  rapidity  of  movement  and  dashing 
courage  made  them  a  terror  to  the  rebel  forces, 
who  had,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  painful 
experience  of  the  keenness  of  their  sabres. 

In  the  course  of  the  expedition,  the  forces  of 
several  rebel  rajahs  were  defeated,  their  strong 
holds  captured,  with  many  guns,  and  treasure 
amounting  to  70,000/.  taken,  besides  large  quan 
tities  of  cattle. 

On  one  occasion  upwards  of  1,700  head  of 
cattle  had  been  taken.  When  they  were  brought 
in,  Brigadier  Showers  exclaimed,  "  Hang  me  ! 
what  in  the  world  am  I  to  do  with  them  ?  It 
would  take  half  my  force  to  convoy  them  back 
to  Delhi.  I  can't  take  them."  On  this  Captain 
Hodson  said,  "  Well,  sir,  will  you  sell  them  to 
me,  and  let  me  take  my  chance  ?  "  "  Willingly," 


"COW-HOUSE."  3/9 

said  the  Brigadier ;  so  the  bargain  was  struck  for 
two  rupees  a  head.  Captain  Hodson  sent  them 
off,  under  charge  of  their  drivers  and  two  or 
three  of  his  own  sowars,  to  Delhi,  where  they 
arrived  safely,  and  were  of  course  sold  at  a  large 
profit. 

The  speculation  turned  out  a  good  one,  but 
the  chances  were  against  it.  No  one  else,  prob 
ably,  under  the  circumstances,  would  have  run 
the  risk,  and  the  cattle  would  have  been  left 
behind. 

I  mention  this  anecdote  as  showing  that  in 
small  things  as  well  as  great  my  brother  refused 
to  acknowledge  difficulties,  and  deserved  the 
character  given  him  of  being  the  most  "  wide 
awake  "  man  in  the  army.  Shortly  afterwards 
he  invested  part  of  the  proceeds  in  a  house  at 
Umbala,  which  happened  to  be  then  put  up  for 
a  forced  sale  at  a  great  depreciation.  This  con 
sequently  went  among  his  friends  by  the  name 
of  the  "  cow-house." 

A  short  time  before  the  return  of  the  column 
to  Delhi,  he  applied  for  a  few  weeks'  leave,  in 
order  to  join  his  wife,  who  had  come  down  from 
Simla  to  Umbfila. 

On  November  3d  he  wrote  to  his  sister  from 
Umbala :  — 

After  nearly  six  months  of  separation,  I  was  happy 
enough  to  get  back  here  yesterday  night,  and  find  my 
wife  well,  and  all  but  recovered  from  the  effects  of  her 
frightful  accident,  the  most  wonderful  escape,  perhaps, 


380  PEOGRESS    OF  HIS  REGIMENT. 

from  imminent  peril  ever  recorded.  I  take  the  first 
holiday  I  have  had  since  the  loth  May,  to  write  a  few 
lines  to  you,  my  dearest  sister,  to  say  what  deep  and 
real  pleasure  and  comfort  your  letters  bring  to  me, 
amidst  danger  and  toil  and  fatigue  ;  and  how  cheering 
it  is  to  feel  that,  come  what  may,  I  am  sure  of  your 
loving  sympathy  and  constant  affection.  I  received 
yesterday  your  letter  of  the  4th  May,  and  could  not  but 
be  most  forcibly  struck  with  the  contrast  between  my 
circumstances  individually,  and  those  of  the  country, 
then  and  now.  No  one  will  rejoice  more  than  your 
self  at  the  sudden  change,  and  at  the  tolerable  success 
which  has  been  permitted  to  my  labors 

Nov.  15th. —  Here  my  pen  was  arrested  by  the  news 
that  the  mail  was  gone.  In  these  days  all  regularity 
is  set  at  defiance,  and  again  we  have  been  startled  by 
a  notice  to  send  our  letters  within  half  an  hour,  and 
that,  too,  in  the  midst  .of  preparation  for  a  hurried  re 
turn  to  Delhi  and  Meerut,  to  rejoin  my  regiment.  We 
march  at  once  to  join  Sir  Colin  Campbell  and  the 
army  assembling  at  Cawnpore  for  the  reconquest  of 
Lucknow. 

I  am  getting  on  famously  with  my  regiment ;  men 
of  good  family  and  fighting  repute  are  really  flocking  to 
my  standard,  *  and  before  the  end  of  the  year  I  hope 
to  have  1,000  horsemen  under  my  command. 

*  A  letter  from  Delhi,  in  October,  says: — 

"  The  corps  raised  by  that  very  gallant  officer,  Captain  Hodson,  is 
composed,  more  than  anything  we  have  hitherto  had,  of  the  old  sirdars 
and  soldiers  of  Runjeet  Singh's  time,  in  consequence  of  which,  and 
the  skill  of  their  commander,  they  are  already  an  extremely  efficient 
corps. 

"  I  was  talking  this  morning  to  a  very  independent  looking  Resal- 
dar,  who  seemed  to  be  treated  by  his  men  much  more  as  they  do  a 
European  officer  than  is  ever  seen  in  our  service,  and  who  bore  him- 


SEATON'S    COLUMN.  381 

I  had  a  letter  the  other  day  from ,  at  Calcutta, 

from  which  I  learn  that  at  last  the  truth  is  beginning 
to  dawn  on  the  minds  of  men  in  power  regarding  me. 
They  now  say  that  my  remonstrance  will  be  placed  on 
record  for  preservation,  "  not  for  justification,  which  it  is 
fully  admitted  was  not  required,"  and  that  "  no  higher 
testimonials  were  ever  produced." 

How  much  I  have  to  be  thankful  for,  not  only  for 
restored  position  and  means  for  future  distinction,  but 
for  safety  and  preservation  during  this  terrible  war,  and 
for  my  dear  wife's  escape. 

You  must  not  misunderstand  my  silence.  I  was  com 
pelled  to  leave  the  task  of  writing  letters  to  Susie  ;  I  had 
barely  time  to  keep  her  assured  of  my  safety  from  day 
to  day. 

On  the  2d  December,  "  Hodson's  Horse  "  were 
ordered  to  join  a  movable  column  under  Colonel 
Thomas  Seaton,  C.  B.,  proceeding  down  the 
country  towards  Cawnpore,  in  charge  of  an  im 
mense  convoy  of  supplies  of  all  kinds  for  the 
Commander-in-Chief 's  army.  The  convoy  was 
calculated  to  extend  over  fifteen  miles  of  road,  — 
hackeries  of  grain,  camels,  elephants,  horses,  — 
and  but  1,500  men  and  four  guns  to  protect  them 
all.  At  Allygurh  the  forces,  marching  respective 
ly  from  Delhi  and  Meerut,  united  on  the  llth. 
On  the  following  day  Colonel  Seaton,  leaving 
the  convoy  under  the  protection  of  the  guns  of 

self  as  the  inferior  of  no  one,  and  I  found  that  he  had  been  long  a 
colonel  of  artillery  in  Runjeet  Singh's  service,  and  very  openly  went 
through  the  part  he  had  taken  against  us  in  the  revolt  of  1849." 


382  FORCED   MARCHES. 

the  fort,  proceeded  by  forced  marches  to  look 
after  some  large  parties  of  the  rebel  army  who 
were  encamped  in  the  Doab. 

On  the  10th,  my  brother  wrote  to  his  wife 
from 

CAMP  SOMNA,  14  miles  from  Allygurli,  Dec.  IQth. 

After  four  days  of  forced  marches  we  joined  the  col 
umn  this  morning,  and  march  on  to  Allygurli  to-morrow. 
We  have  been  quite  out  of  the  way  of  letters,  both  going 
and  coming,  until  to-day.  The  "  enemy,"  who  were  sup 
posed  to  have  been  in  our  front  at  Khasgunge,  have  aH 
disappeared,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  immediate  pros 
pect  of  our  finding  another.  Alfred  Light  marched  down 
with  me  from  Meerut  to  this  place,  and  now  goes  on  with 
Colonel  Seaton  as  orderly  officer,  I  am  glad  to  say.  We 
have  a  frightful  convoy  and  crowd,  but  I  hope  not  for 
long.  The  head-quarter  people,  Colonels  Keith,  Young, 
Becher,  and  Congreve,  are  with  us.  It  is  said  that  our 
friend  Napier  is  to  be  Adjutant- General  of  the  army,  — 
delightful,  if  true.  I  have  only  just  got  my  tent  up,  and 
it  is  nearly  dark,  so  I  can  only  say  that  I  am  safe  and 
well. 

ALLYGURH,  Dec.  llth.  —  We  arrived  here  early  this 
morning,  and  I  found  Major  Eld  commanding  and  Arthur 
Cocks  doing  Commissioner.  Everything  perfectly  quiet 
in  the  neighborhood,  and  no  large  gathering  of  Pandies 
anywhere  near.  There  is  a  small  party  at  Khasgunge, 
and  I  hope  we  may  be  lucky  enough  to  find  them,  but  I 
doubt  their  waiting  for  us.  Meantime  we  are  to  march 
down  the  Trunk  Road,  halting  here  to-morrow.  I  can 
not  get  over  our  parting,  each  separation  seems  a  greater 
wrench  than  the  last. 


ALLYGURH.  383 

Of  public  news  there  is  none,  but  one  broad  fact,  that 
since  the  12th  ultimo  no  news  have  been  received  from 
Lucknow,  and  not  a  word  even  from  Cawnpore  since  the 
25th.  This  necessarily  excites  alarm,  but  still  my  im 
pression  is,  that  though  our  people  may  be  surrounded 
with  a  close  cordon  of  disaffected  and  rebellious  men, 
who  cut  off  all  communication,  yet  that  any  serious  harm 
can  happen  to  a  force  of  8,000  or  9,000  Europeans  I  will 
not  readily  believe.  I  have  596  sabres  with  me  now,  50 
more  coming  from  Delhi,  besides  the  140  with  Gough, — 
not  so  bad  that. 

Dec.  12th.  — We  hear  to-day  from  Agra  that  the  ladies 
and  sick  and  wounded  from  Lucknow  and  Cawnpore 
have  been  sent  down  to  Allahabad,  and  the  Gwalior  Con 
tingent  beaten.  The  Commander-in-Chief  is  at  Cawn 
pore,  and  troops  will  be  assembling  there  enough  to  put 
down  all  opposition,  and  open  the  road  to  Calcutta.  We 
march  to-morrow  morning  from  hence,  leaving  the  "  im 
pedimenta  "  behind  here  until  we  can  ascertain  that  the 
road  is  clear  ;  when  it  is  so,  all  will  move  on.  We  have 
fifteen  guns,  mostly  9-pounders,  with  our  small  but  com 
pact  force.  Major  Eld  joins  us  with  a  part  of  his  garri 
son,  and  Colonel  Farquhar  brings  300  Belooches,  200 
Affghans,  and  two  guns  to  our  aid.  We  shall  be  2,500 
fighting  men,  and  the  "  fathers  of  rebels "  will  hardly 
stomach  so  much  as  that !  Colonel  Seaton  is  doing  ad 
mirably,  very  firm  and  very  wide  awake  ;  so  all  will,  I 
doubt  not,  go  well. 

JULALEE,  Dec.  13th.  — Your  letter,  inclosing  our  dar 
ling  sister's,  found  us  lying  in  the  dust,  with  a  pea-soup 
atmosphere  of  fine  sand  all  around,  discussing  hot  tea  and 
eggs,  just  as  I  had  returned  from  a  reconnaissance  to  the 
front,  in  virtue  of  my  being  the  big  eye  and  ear  of  the 


384  ENGAGEMENT   AT   GUNGEREE. 

camp The  paragraph  in  the  Lahore  Chronicle  was 

too  absurd,  and  beneath  my  notice  ;  but  to  please  you 
and  Macdowell  I  consented  to  his  saying  anything  he 
pleased  on  the  subject.  Naturally,  I  must  err  sometimes 
in  judgment,  even  with  prayer  for  my  aid  ;  but  I  never 
swerve  from  my  one  and  only  aim,  to  do  my  duty  as  well 
and  strictly  as  I  can  ;  so  the  praise  or  blame  of  men 
affect  me  less  than  if  I  took  public  opinion  and  not  con 
science  for  my  guide.  But  apropos  of  the  newspapers, 
Arthur  Cocks  tells  me  that  the  Friend  of  India  has  apol 
ogized  for  its  strictures  on  my  conduct  in  re  the  Shahza- 
dahs  ;  so  let  that  satisfy  you,  for  nothing  I  could  write,  or 
my  friends  for  me,  could  ever  be  half  so  effectual  as  the 

Friend's    voluntary  amende I  intended    to    have 

written  much  to-day,  but  I  was  waked  at  3  A.  M.,  marched 
soon  after,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  dusty  breakfast 
(cheered  by  my  letters),  I  was  in  the  saddle  till  half-past 
2  P.  M.  Then  regimental  business,  washed  and  dressed, 
then  threw  myself  on  my  bed  for  half  an  hour  till  din 
ner,  after  which  we  get  to  bed  as  soon  as  we  can,  and  up 
again  at  3  A.  M.,  so  there  is  not  much  time  for  what  I 
want  to  do  of  private  matters.  There's  a  history  of  a 
day  in  camp. 

CAMP,  GUNGEREE,  Dec.  14th.  —  I  have  only  time  to 
say  that  I  am  safe  and  well,  though  we  have  had  a  hard 
fight.  The  enemy's  cavalry,  with  three  guns  and  some 
infantry,  came  on  from  Bilaram  to  meet  us  this  morning 
after  breakfast,  —  about  800  horsemen  and  a  mob  of 
foot,  —  but  our  guns  soon  stopped  their  progress,  and 
then  the  Carabineers  and  Lancers  charged  straight  down 
on  them  in  the  most  magnificent  style,  capturing  all  three 
of  their  guns  at  a  dash  !  I  grieve  to  say,  however,  that 
they  paid  most  dearly  for  their  splendid  courage.  All 


PUTTIALEE.  385 

their  officers  went  down.  Captain  Wardlaw,  Mr.  Hud 
son,  and  Mr.  Vyse,  all  killed,  and  Head,  of  the  Lancers, 
badly  wounded.  The  infantry  were  not  engaged  at  all. 
We  attacked  their  flying  cavalry  and  footmen  on  the  left, 
and  made  very  short  work  of  all  we  could  catch.  I  lost 
a  fine  old  Resaldar,  our  dear  old  friend  Mohammed  Reza 
Khan's  brother.  None  of  my  officers  hurt;  but  my 
horse  (Rufus  this  time)  got  a  cut.* 

CAMP  NEAR  PUTTIALEE,  17 th.  —  I  have  but  time  for 
one  line  again  to  say  that  "  all's  well."  We  have  been 
on  our  horses  for  eleven  hours  !  The  enemy  had  the 
boldness  to  await  our  arrival  here  in  great  force  and 
partly  intrenched.  We  attacked  them  soon  after  8  A.  M., 
they  firing  aimlessly  at  us  as  we  advanced,  our  guns  com 
ing  into  play  with  fine  effect.  I  then  dashed  into  their 
camp  with  my  regiment,  Bishop's  troop  of  Artillery 
actually  charging  with  us  like  cavalry  fairly  into  their 
camp  !  We  drove  them  through  camp  and  town,  and 
through  gardens,  fields,  and  lanes,  capturing  every  gun 
and  all  their  ammunition  and  baggage.  We  pushed  on 
for  six  or  seven  miles,  and  read  them  a  terrible  lesson. 
The  Carabineers  and  my  men  alone  must  have  killed  some 
500  or  600  at  least,  all  sowars  and  fanatics.  We  wound 
up  by  killing  the  Nawab,  who  led  them  on  his  elephant, 

*  From   Despatch  from  COLONEL,  T.  SEATON,  C.  B.,   to    MAJOR- 
GENERAL  PENNY,   Commanding  at  Delhi. 

"  KHASGUKGE,  Dec.  15th,  1857. 

"  The  General  will  see  by  the  list  of  casualties,  that  Captain  Hod- 
son's  newly  raised  body  of  Horse  was  not  backward,  and  rendered 
excellent  service.  It  could  not  do  less  under  its  distinguished  com 
mander,  whom  I  beg  particularly  to  mention  to  the  Major-General,  as 
having  on  every  possible  occasion  rendered  me  the  inost  efficient  ser 
vice,  whether  in  gaining  information,  reconnoitring  the  country,  or 
leading  his  regiment." 

17 


386  RECONNOITRING   AFTER   ACTION. 

after  a  long  chase  and  an  ingenious  struggle,  in  which  he 
was  fairly  pulled  out  of  his  houdah.  I  am  very  tired, 
but  delighted  with  our  day's  work  on  Seaton's  account. 
We  have  captured  thirteen  guns  and  entirely  dispersed 
the  enemy.  He  ought  to  be  made  a  K.  C.  B.  for  this.* 

PUTTIALEE,  19th.  —  I  have  just  returned  from  a  twen 
ty-five  miles'  ride  reconnoitring  towards  the  ghats  of  the 
Ganges,  and  breakfasted  al  fresco  at  1 1  p.  M.  ;  so  I  am 
not  too  fresh,  as  you  may  imagine,  after  the  last  few  days 
of  hard  work  and  hard  galloping.  Colonel  Seaton  tells 
me  that  he  wrote  to  you  after  our  very  successful  action 
here.  He  does  all  his  work  so  well  and  pleasantly  that 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  work  under  him.  We  have  a  very 
compact  force  and  capital  officers,  so  everything  goes  on 
smoothly  and  comfortably.  The  remnant  of  the  gentry 
we  thrashed  here  seem  never  to  have  stopped  running 
since.  Another  party  have,  however,  crossed  over  from 
Rohilcund,  and  are  said  to  be  coming  our  way.  I  only 
wish  they  may. 

Dec.  20th.  —  We  march  back  to-morrow,  and  shall  be 
at  Etah  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Road  on  the  24th,  when  the 
convoy  will  come  on  to  rejoin  us.  I  have  ascertained 
that  the  result  of  our  affair  here  has  been  to  drive  the 
whole  of  the  rebels  out  of  the  country  between  this  and 
Futtehgurh. 

From  Etah  we  shall  disperse  the  Mynpooree  party, 

*  Extract  from  a  Despatch  from  LIEUTENANT- COLONEL  T.  SEATON, 
dated 

"  PUTTIALEE,  Dec.  18//>,  1857. 

"  After  the  action  at  Gungeree  I  specially  mentioned  Captain  Hod- 
son  and  his  regiment.  I  can  but  repeat  what  I  then  said,  and  beg 
that  the  Major-General  will  be  good  enough  to  bring  this  officer,  and 
his  great  and  important  services,  to  the  special  notice  of  the  Com- 
uiander-in-Chief." 


KHASGUNGE.  387 

and  then  I  think  there  will  be  no  rebels  left  in  the  Doab 
save  at  Futtehgurh,  and  those  the  Commander-in-Chief 
will  dispose  of. 

KHASGUNGE,  23d.  —  The  more  we  move  in  this  direc 
tion,  the  more  do  we  realize  of  the  satisfactory  results  of 
our  expedition  and  our  fight  of  the  17th.  It  really  was 
a  very  complete  affair,  and  had  it  been  done  under  the 
eyes  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  I  should  have  been 
made  a  colonel.  However,  I  can  but  admit  that  every 
disposition  exists  here  to  give  me  (perhaps  more  than) 
my  due.  To-day  we  have  for  the  first  time  heard  of  the 
Commander-in-Chief 's  movements.  He  comes  up  in  two 
columns,  via  the  Grand  Trunk  Road,  and  via  the  Jumna 
towards  Mynpooree.  We  shall  be  at  the  latter  place  on 
Christmas  day,  I  hope,  and  clear  out  the  remainder  of  the 
rebels  who  may  still  be  lurking  about  the  roads  and  vil 
lages.  We  caught  yesterday  one  of  the  rebel  leaders,  an 
old  Resaldar,  covered  with  honors,  pension,  and  dignity 
by  our  Government !  These  rascals  are  as  impervious  to 
gratitude  as  they  are  ignorant  of  truth.  The  neighbor 
hood  of  Futtehgurh  has  brought  vividly  home  to  me  the 
horrors  committed,  and  the  dreadful  fate  of  poor  Tudor 
Tucker,  his  wife,  children,  and  the  other  victims,  is  ever 
before  me  ;  it  often  recalls  a  sterner  judgment  when  we 
feel  inclined  to  spare. 

ETAH,  Dec.  24th.  —  We  got  here  after  an  eighteen 
miles'  march,  and  hear  that  the  Chief  was  to  leave  Cawn- 
pore  "in  a  few  days"  from  the  14th,  and  would  move  up 
the  Grand  Trunk  Road  with  one  column,  sending  another 
to  skirt  the  Jumna.  General  Windham  is  said  to  be 
corning  up  to  take  the  divisional  command  at  Umbala. 

MULLOWN,  CHRISTMAS  DAY.  —  There  seems  a  fatal 
ity  against  our  spending  these  anniversaries  together ;  but 


388  CAPTAIN  WABDLAW. 

my  heart  is  full  of  deep  and  earnest  prayer  for  you  arid 
all  my  loved  ones,  and  I  try  to  hope  that  our  next  Christ 
mas  may  be  spent  at  home. 

We  march  to  Kerowlee  to-morrow,  and  shall  be  at 
Mynpooree  on  the  27th,  there  to  halt  for  a  few  days, 
until  the  convoy  is  collected  and  we  can  hear  from  the 
Commander-in-Chief.  We  have  just  heard  that  Mayhew 
is  the  new  Adjutant-General,  and  Norman,  Deputy.  This 
last  is  a  splendid  thing,  and  shows  Sir  Colin's  determina 
tion  to  put  the  right  man  in  the  right  place,  in  spite  of  all 
the  red  tape  and  seniority  systems  in  the  world  !  I  can 
hear  nothing  of  our  dear  friend  Napier,  but  I  suppose  he 
is  with  Sir  James  Outram. 

MYNPOOREE,  December  27th.  —  We  have  just  returned 
from  a  sixteen  miles'  pursuit  of  the  rebel  force  posted  in 
front  of  this  place.  They  only  waited  until  the  Horse 
Artillery  guns  opened  on  them,  and  then  fled  precipi 
tately,  so  we  had  to  ride  hard  to  overtake  them.  They 
flung  away  their  arms,  and  became  simple  villagers  with 
astonishing  rapidity ;  it  would  have  done  credit  to  the 
stage.  No  one  hurt  but  two  of  my  sowars.  We  have 
got  all  their  guns  (six  in  number),  and  the  Doab  is  clear 
now  to  Futtehgurh. 

MYNPOOREE,  December  28th.  —  The  Commander-in- 
Chief  had  not  left  Cawnpore  on  the  16th,  but  was  to  do 
so  very  soon  ;  we  hope  to  hear  of  him.  Please  send  the 
inclosed  notes  to  the  ladies  to  whom  they  are  addressed, 
and  if  they  like  to  inclose  me  any  miniature  replies,  I 
will  take  care  they  are  safely  forwarded  to  their  hus 
bands. 

MYNPOOREE,  December  23th.  —  I  have  spoken  about 
poor  Wardlaw's  effects,  and  Mrs.  —  — 's  kind  offer  was 
accepted  gladly ;  but  a  reference  to  Meerut  was  neces- 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF'S   CAMP.  389 

sary,  and  I  have  not  yet  had  a  final  answer.  Poor  fel 
low  !  never  was  a  more  gallant  charge  than  the  last  he 
led,  and  I  agree  with  his  brother  officers  that  "  a  kinder 
friend,  a  more  gallant  soldier,  and  a  better  comrade, 
never  stepped  than  George  Wardlaw."  Both  his  death 
and  that  of  his  comrade,  Mr.  Hudson,  were  perhaps  un 
necessary,  —  by  which  I  mean  that  a  better  acquaintance 
with  their  enemy  might  have  saved  both.  The  former, 
after  the  charge,  dashed  single-handed  —  with  a  cheer  — 
into  a  knot  of  matchlock-men  waiting  to  receive  him,  and 
was  shot  dead  instantly.  Had  he  gathered  together  only 
half  a  dozen  dragoons,  he  might  have  ridden  over  them. 
The  other  (Hudson)  was  shot  by  a  wretched  fugitive 
lying  prostrate  in  a  field.  Not  understanding  their  tac 
tics,  he  rode  up  to  him  and  halted,  thus  offering  a  fair 
mark  for  the  villain's  ready  musket.  He  was  a  son  of 
the  ex-Railway  King. 

MYNPOOREE,  December  30th,  6  A.  M.  —  I  am  just 
starting  for  the  Chief's  camp,  which  is  at  or  near 
Goorsahaigunge,  some  forty  miles  from  hence.  I  am 
taking  despatches  from  Colonel  Seaton,  and  to  see  that 
the  road  is  clear.  I  hope  to  be  back  to  dinner.  Mac 
goes  with  me. 

BEWAR,  GRAND  TRUNK  ROAD,  December  31st. — 
Yesterday,  I  rode  with  Mac  to  the  Commander-in-Chief 's 
camp.  It  was  farther  off  than  I  had  been  led  to  believe, 
and  I  had  to  go  fifty -four  miles  to  reach  him.  I  found 
him  wonderfully  fresh  and  well,  and  met  with  a  most 
cordial  and  hearty  welcome  from  him,  General  Mansfield, 
and,  in  fact,  from  all.  Gough,  Bruce,  and  Mackinnon,  all 
fat  and  well.  I  was  much  pleased  with  all  I  heard  and 
saw ;  the  sight  of  the  sailors  and  the  Highlanders  did  my 
eyes  and  heart  good.  Such  dear,  wild-looking  fellows  as 


390  OPENING   COMMUNICATION. 

these  Jack-tars  are.  but  so  respectful  and  proper  in  con 
duct  and  manner.  Our  dear  Napier  is  wounded,  I  grieve 
to  say,  though,  thank  God !  not  badly,  and  is  left  behind 
at  Cawnpore.  So  I  am  gazetted  a  Captain  at  last !  All 
the  letters,  papers,  and  despatches  relative  to  Delhi  have 
been  published,  and  I  am  again  thanked  in  despatches  by 
the  Governor-General.  .  .  .  Sir  Colin  was  very  com 
plimentary,  and  my  men,  under  Gough,  have  won  great 
distinction  and  universal  praise.  I  rejoiced  to  see  my 
old  friend  Norman  in  his  proper  place,  the  de  facto  Ad 
jutant-General  of  the  army ;  and  Hope  Grant  has  done 
everything  admirably.  We  Punjaubee  cavalry  folks  are 
quite  "  the  thing "  just  now  ....  We  had  a  narrow 
escape  yesterday  from  a  party  of  the  enemy  crossing  the 
road  en  route  from  the  southward  to  Futtehgurh  ;  they 
attacked  my  sowars  after  we  (Mac  and  I)  had  ridden  on, 
and  killed  one  of  them,  and  wounded  several.  Coming 
back  at  night,  we  passed  quite  close  to  the  enemy's 
bivouac,  hearing  their  voices  distinctly ;  but  by  taking  it 
quietly,  and  riding  on  soft  ground,  we  got  past  unmolested 
and  into  Bewar  (to  which  place  Seaton  moved  up  this 
morning)  by  3  A.  M.,  having  dined  with  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  last  evening.  We  had  ridden  ninety-four  miles 
since  six  in  the  morning.  I,  seventy-two  on  one  horse, 
my  gallant  Rufus.  We  astonished  the  head-quarter 
people  not  a  little. 

I  am  again  indebted  to  the  pen  of  Lieutenant 
Macdowell,  for  a  fuller  account  of  the  hairbreadth 
escape  which  he  and  my  brother  had  in  the  course 
of  this  ride,  in  which  they  so  gallantly  and  suc 
cessfully  opened  communication  between  the  two 
forces. 


DANGEROUS   RIDE.  391 


"  CAMP,  BEWAR,  Jan.  1st,  1858. 

"You  know  we  took  Mynpooree  on  the  27th.  We 
halted  that  day  and  the  two  following.  On  the  night  of 
the  29th,  Hodson  came  into  my  tent,  about  nine  o'clock, 
and  told  me  a  report  had  come  in  that  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  had  arrived  with  his  forces  at  Goorsahaigunge, 
about  thirty-eight  miles  from  Mynpooree,  and  that  he  had 
volunteered  to  ride  over  to  him  with  despatches,  asking 
me  at  the  same  time  if  I  would  accompany  him.  Of 
course  I  consented  at  once,  and  was  very  much  gratified 
by  his  selecting  me  as  his  companion.  At  6  A.  M.  the 
next  morning  we  started,  with  seventy-five  sowars  of 
our  own  regiment.  I  do  not  wish  to  enhance  the  danger 
of  the  undertaking,  but  shall  merely  tell  you  that  since 
Brigadier  Grant's  column  moved  down  this  road  towards 
Lucknow,  it  had  been  closed  against  all  Europeans ;  that 
we  were  not  certain  if  the  Commander-iri-Chief's  camp 
was  at  Goorsahaigunge  (which  uncertainty  was  verified, 
as  you  will  see)  ;  and  that,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  there- 
was  a  chance  of  our  falling  in  with  roving  bands  of  the 
enemy.* 

"  We  started  at  6  A.  M.,  and  reached  Bewar  all  safe, 

*  The  following  extract  from  a  private  letter  of  an  artillery  officer, 
describing  the  state  of  the  roads,  will  give  some  notion  of  the  danger 
of  this  ride:  — 

"  MYNPOOREB,  December  2Qth. 

"  Since  the  20th  of  October,  no  letters  have  passed  this  road. 
The  '  Kossids,'  whose  trade  it  is  to  carry  letters  through  an  enemy's 
country,  would  not  and  could  not  do  it,  and  no  wonder.  At  one 
place  we  saw  a  poor  brute  who  had  gone  from  us  with  a  letter  to  the 
Chief,  and  had  been  caught  by  the  rebel?.  He  was  hanging  by  the 
heels,  had  his  nose  cut  off,  had  been  made  a  target  of,  and  roasted 
alive. 

"  Pleasant  fellows,  these  rebels,  and  worthy  of  all  consideration." 


392  COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF'S   CAMP. 

fourteen  miles  from  our  camp.  Here  we  halted,  and  ate 
sandwiches,  and  then,  leaving  fifty  men  to  stay  till  our 
return,  pushed  on  to  Chibberamow,  fourteen  miles  farther 
on.  Here  we  made  another  halt,  and  then,  leaving  the 
remaining  twenty-five  men  behind,  we  pushed  on  by  our 
selves,  unaccompanied,  for  Goorsahaigunge,  where  we 
hoped  to  find  the  Commander-in-Chief.  On  arriving 
there  (a  fourteen  miles'  stage),  we  found  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  was  at  Meerun-ke-Serai,  fifteen  miles  farther 
on.  This  was  very  annoying ;  but  there  was  no  help  for 
it,  so  we  struck  out  for  it  as  fast  as  we  could,  the  more  so 
as  we  heard  that  the  enemy,  700  strong,  with  four  guns, 
was  within  two  miles  of  us.  We  arrived  at  Meerun-ke- 
Serai  at  4  A.  M.,  and  found  the  camp  there  all  right.  We 
were  received  most  cordially  by  all,  and  not  a  little  sur 
prised  were  they  to  hear  where  we  had  come  from. 
Hodson  was  most  warmly  received  by  Sir  Colin  Camp 
bell,  and  was  closeted  with  him  till  dinner-time.  Mean 
while,  I  sought  out  some  old  friends,  and  amused  myself 
with  looking  at  the  novel  sight  of  English  sailors  em 
ployed  with  heavy  guns.  I  also  went  to  see  the  High 
landers,  and  magnificent  fellows  they  are,  with  their  bon 
nets  and  kilts,  looking  as  if  they  could  eat  up  all  the 
Pandies  in  India.  A  summons  to  the  Commander-in- 
Chief's  table  called  me  away,  and  off  I  went  to  dinner, 
when  I  found  Hodson  seated  by  Sir  Colin,  and  carrying 
on  a  most  animated  conversation  with  him.  We  had  a 
very  pleasant  dinner,  and  at  8  p.  M.  started  on  our  long 
ride  (fifty-four  miles)  back.  We  arrived  at  Goorsahai 
gunge  all  safe,  and  pushed  on  at  once  for  the  next  stage, 
Chibberamow.  When  we  had  got  half  way,  we  were 
stopped  by  a  native,  who  had  been  waiting  in  expectation 
of  our  return.  God  bless  him  !  I  say,  arid  I  am  sure  you 


HAIRBREADTH  ESCAPE.  393 

will  say  so  too  when  you  have  read  all.  He  told  us 
that  a  party  of  the  enemy  had  attacked  our  twenty-five 
sowars  at  Chibberamow,  cut  up  some,  and  beaten  back 
the  rest,  and  that  there  was  a  great  probability  some  of 
them  (the  enemy)  were  lurking  about  the  road  to  our 
front.  This  was  pleasant  news,  was  it  not  ?  —  twenty 
miles  from  the  Commander-in  Chief's  camp,  thirty  from 
our  own  ;  time,  midnight ;  scene,  an  open  road  ;  dramatis 
persona,  two  officers  armed  with  swords  and  revolvers, 
and  a  howling  enemy  supposed  to  be  close  at  hand.  We 
deliberated  what  we  should  do,  and  Hodson  decided  we 
should  ride  on  at  all  risks.  '  At  the  worst/  he  said,  '  we 
can  gallop  back  ;  but  we'll  try  and  push  through.'  The 
native  came  with  us,  and  we  started.  I  have  seen  a  few 
adventures  in  my  time,  but  must  confess  this  was  the 
most  trying  one  I  had  ever  engaged  in.  It  was  a  pierc 
ingly  cold  night,  with  a  bright  moon  and  a  wintry  sky, 
and  a  cold  wind  every  now  and  then  sweeping  by  and 
chilling  us  to  the  very  marrow.  Taking  our  horses  off 
the  hard  road  on  to  the  side  where  it  was  soft,  so  that  the 
noise  of  their  footfalls  could  be  less  distinctly  heard,  we 
silently  went  on  our  way,  anxiously  listening  for  every 
sound  that  fell  upon  our  ears,  and  straining  our  sight  to 
see  if,  behind  the  dark  trees  dotted  along  the  road,  we 
could  discern  the  forms  of  the  enemy  waiting  in  ambush 
to  seize  us.  It  was  indeed  an  anxious  time.  We  pro 
ceeded  till  close  to  Chibberamow.  *  They  are  there,' 
said  our  guide  in  a  whisper,  pointing  to  a  garden  in  a 
clump  of  trees  to  our  right  front.  Distinctly  we  heard 
a  faint  hum  in  the  distance  ;  — whether  it  was  the  enemy, 
or  whether  our  imagination  conjured  up  the  sound,  I 
know  not.  We  slowly  and  silently  passed  through  the 
village,  in  the  main  street  of  which  we  saw  the  dead  body 
17* 


394  HAIRBREADTH   ESCAPE. 

of  one  of  our  men  lying  stark  and  stiff  and  ghastly  in 
the  moonlight ;  and  on  emerging  from  the  other  side,  dis 
missed  our  faithful  guide,  with  directions  to  come  to  our 
camp,  —  and  then,  putting  spurs  to  our  horses,  we  gal 
loped  for  the  dear  life  to  Bewar,  breathing  more  freely 
as  every  stride  bore  us  away  from  the  danger  now  hap 
pily  past.  We  reached  Bewar  at  about  two  o'clock  A.  M., 
and  found  a  party  of  our  men  sent  out  to  look  for  us. 
Our  troopers  had  ridden  in  to  say  they  had  been  attacked 
arid  driven  back,  and  that  we  had  gone  on  alone,  and  all 
concluded  we  must  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
We  flung  ourselves  down  on  charpoys  and  slept  till  day 
light,  when  our  column  marched  in,  and  we  received  the 
hearty  congratulations  of  all  on  our  escape.  What  do 
you  think  of  it  ?  The  man  whose  information  gave  us 
such  timely  warning,  and  thereby  prevented  our  galloping 
on,  by  which  we  should  certainly  have  excited  the  atten 
tion  of  the  enemy,  has  been  very  handsomely  rewarded, 
and  obtained  employment. 

"  It  appears  from  the  reports  afterwards  received,  that 
the  party  that  cut  up  our  men  were  fugitives  from  Eta- 
wah,  where  a  column  of  ours,  under  General  Walpole, 
had  arrived.  They  consisted  of  about  1,500  men,  with 
seven  guns,  and  were  proceeding  to  Futtypore.  We  rode 
in  at  one  end  of  Chibberamow  in  the  morning ;  —  they 
rode  in  at  the  other.  They  saw  us,  but  we  did  not  see 
them,  as  we  were  on  unfavorable  ground.  Thinking  we 
were  the  advanced  guard  of  our  column,  they  retired 
hastily  to  a  village  some  two  coss  off.  Meanwhile,  Hodson 
and  I,  unconscious  of  their  vicinity,  rode  on.  They  sent 
out  scouts,  and  ascertained  that  only  twenty-five  of  our 
sowars  were  in  the  village,  upon  which  they  resumed 
their  march,  sending  a  party  to  cut  up  our  men,  and,  I 


SEATON'S   LETTER.  395 

suppose,  to  wait  for  our  return.  All  Hodson  said  when 
we  were  at  Bewar,  and  safe,  was  '  By  George  !  Mac,  I'd 
give  a  good  deal  for  a  cup  of  tea,'  and  immediately  went 
to  sleep.  He  is  the  coolest  hand  I  have  ever  yet  met. 
We  rode  ninety-four  miles.  Hodson  rode  seventy-two  on 
one  horse,  the  little  dun,  and  I  rode  Alma  seventy-two 
miles  also." 

Colonel  Seaton,  in  a  letter  written  shortly  after 
wards  to  Mrs.  Hodson,  thus  describes  the  anxiety 
he  felt:  — 

"  MAHOMEDABAD,  Jan.  btli. 

"  Oh,  what  a  fright  I  was  in  the  night  before  we 
marched  from  Mynpooree.  Your  husband  knew  that  I 
was  most  anxious  to  communicate  with  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  and  volunteered  to  ride  across,  and  as  Mr.  Cocks 
said  that  he  had  most  positive  information  that  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  was  at  Goorsahaigunge,  I  consented. 
He  started  at  daybreak,  taking  a  strong  party  of  his  own 
regiment. 

"  At  sunset,  one  of  his  men  returned,  saying  that  he 
and  Macdowell  had  left  a  party  at  Chibberamow,  and 
ridden  forward  ;  that  the  party  had  subsequently  been 
surprised  by  the  enemy,  and  cut  up. 

"  At  first,  this  seemed  most  alarming,  yet  I  had  the 
greatest  faith  in  his  consummate  prudence  and  skill.  I 
knew  Macdowell  was  with  him,  and  I  said  to  myself,  '  If 
those  two  are  not  sharp  enough  to  dodge  the  black  fel 
lows,  why  the  d is  in  it.'  But  still  I  could  not  help 

feeling  most  uneasy,  and  saying,  '  Oh,  dear !  what  should 
I  say  to  his  poor  wife  ! '  I  did  not  sleep  one  wink  all 
night.  In  the  morning  a  sowar  galloped  in  with  a  note 
from  him.  Oh,  what  a  relief  to  my  mind  ! 


396  CAPTAIN  HODSON. 

"  The  day  before  yesterday,  we  rode  over  together  to 
the  Commander-in-Chief  's  camp  at  Goorsahaigunge,  and 
found  he  had  moved  on  four  miles  beyond  the  Kalee 
Nuddee.  We  followed,  and  came  in  for  the  tail  of  a 
fight,  as  thejre  were  still  some  dropping  shots.  I  was 
received  with  great  cordiality  by  the  Commander-in- 
Chief,  and  warmly  congratulated  on  our  successes. 

"  Your  gallant  husband  has  now  left  me,  and  I  find  it 
most  painful  to  part,  for  he  is  a  warm  friend  and  true 
soldier ;  always  ready  with  his  pen,  his  sword,  or  his 
counsel  at  my  slightest  wish  ;  indeed,  he  often  anticipated 
my  wishes,  as  if  he  could  divine  what  I  wanted.  I 
missed  his  cheerful  manly  face  at  my  breakfast  this  morn 
ing,  and  am  not  in  a  good-humor  at  all  to-day." 

In  a  letter  to  England  of  the  same  date,  my 
brother  says :  — 

At  last,  after  twelve  years'  service,  I  am  a  Captain 
regimentally  from  the  14th  September  last ;  poor  Major 
Jacobs'  death  after  the  assault  having  given  me  my  pro 
motion,  —  dearly  purchased  by  the  death  of  such  a  man ! 
I  have  much  to  be  thankful  for,  not  only  for  the  most 
unhoped-for  escapes  from  wounds  and  death,  but  for  the 
position  I  now  occupy,  and  for  the  appreciation  my  work 
has  received  from  those  in  power.  My  new  regiment 
has  done  good  service,  and  got  much  nvdo<;. 

On  January  1,  1858,  he  writes  to  his  wife  from 

CAMP,  BEWAR.  —  I  must  write  a  few  lines  on  this 
jour  de  Pan,  though  they  will  be  but  few,  as  we  start 
shortly  for  the  Commander-in-Chief 's  camp  at  Goorsa 
haigunge,  twenty-eight  miles  off,  —  the  "we"  means 
Colonel  Seaton,  Light,  and  myself.  I  do  hope  it  will 


NIGHT   MARCH.  397 

then  be  decided  when  we  are  to  join  the  Chief,  which,  for 
many  reasons,  I  am  most  anxious  to  do.  Macdowell 
wrote  you  a  capital  account  of  our  expedition  to  Meerun- 
ke-Serai,  which  you  will  get  before  this  reaches  you.  He 
is  game  to  the  backbone,  but  he  has  not  the  physical 
stamina  for  such  an  adventure  as  that.  I  am  sorry  to 
say  I  lost  three  of  my  men  killed  and  four  wounded,  and 
my  horse,  saddle  and  bridle  (English),  were  lost.  I  wish 

you  could  coax out  of  that  horse  he  got  of  General 

Anson  ;  life  and  more  than  life  sometimes  depends  on 
being  well  mounted. 

January  3d.  —  We  did  not  get  back  from  Goorsahai- 
gunge  till  two  this  morning,  very  weary  and  tired,  and 
now  comes  an  order,  just  as  I  am  sitting  down  to  write, 
for  my  regiment  to  march  at  once  to  join  the  Chief's 
camp  near  Futtehgurh  ;  so  I  am  again  reduced  to  the 
mere  announcement  that  I  am  safe  and  well.  I  have  just 
heard  that  the  rebels  have  bolted  from  Futtehgurh. 

FUTTEHGURH,  4th  January.  —  A  night-march  of 
twenty-five  miles,  tents  up  at  1  p.  M.,  after  which  break 
fast,  and  two  interviews  with  the  Chief  and  his  staff, 
have  not  left  me  much  daylight  or  time  for  the  post. 
Futtehgurh  was  abandoned  as  I  foretold,  and  our  troops 
are  all  concentrating  here,  not  a  shot  having  been  fired. 
We  remain  here  a  few  days,  but  a  few  inglorious  but 
needful  burning  expeditions  will  probably  be  all  we  shall 
have  to  do.  Our  dear  friend  Napier  is  recovered,  or 
nearly  so,  from  his  wound.  I  hope  he  will  join  the 
Chief,  who  appreciates  him  as  he  deserves. 

January  5th.  —  The  anniversary  of  the  most  blessed 
event  in  my  life  again  to  be  spent  in  absence.  ...  I  see 
no  chance  just  yet  of  any  vigorous  action  by  which  the 
war  might  be  concluded,  and  we  released  from  this  toil- 


398  BRIGADIER  A.  HOPE. 

some  campaign.  The  Commander-in-Chief  is  tied  by 
red  tape,  and  obliged  to  wait  the  orders  of  Government 
as  to  where  he  is  to  go  !  Are  our  rulers  still  infatuated  ? 
You  complain  of  the  shortness  of  my  letters,  and  with 
justice  ;  but  the  most  important  business,  often  the  safety 
of  the  force,  depends  on  my  doing  my  duty  unflinchingly. 
Colonel  Seaton  dines  with  me  to-day  to  drink  your  health 
on  this  our  day.  1  have  spoken  for  Reginald  *  to  come 
and  do  duty  with  him  ;  but  I  fear  that  "  Seaton's  fighting 
column  "  has  sunk  in  the  sea  of  this  great  camp,  but  I 
will  do  my  best  to  get  the  dear  boy  down  here. 

6th.  —  We  march  to-day,  with  a  brigade  under  Colonel 
Adrian  Hope,  on  some  punishing  expeditions.  I  hope  to 
return  in  three  or  four  days,  and  where  we  go  next  is 
not  known.  Seaton  has  subsided  for  the  present  into 
the  simple  Colonel  of  Fusiliers,  which  seems  hard  enough 
after  all  he  has  done.  I  hope  they  will  soon  give  him  a 
brigade. 

CAMP,  SHDMSHABAD,  January  1th.  —  Here  we  are  on 
the  move  again  !  Colonel  Hope's  brigade,  consisting  of 
the  42d  and  73d  Highlanders,  2d  Punjaub  Infantry,  a 
Royal  Artillery  battery,  two  guns  Bengal  H.  A.,  a  squad 
ron  of  Lancers,  and  half  my  men  —  a  splendid  little 
force  with  nothing  to  do  I  fear  but  pull  down  houses,  the 
owners  of  which  have  all  escaped.  We  are  only  a  few 
miles  from  the  place  to  which  we  pursued  the  enemy 
from  Puttialee,  and  had  Colonel  Seaton  been  allowed  to 
push  on  then,  we  should  have  caught  and  punished  these 
rascals  as  they  deserved.  Brigadier  Hope  is  a  very  fine 
fellow  and  a  pleasant ;  about  my  age,  or  younger  if  any 
thing,  though,  of  course,  longer  in  the  army.  When  he 

*  Lieutenant  R.  Mitford,  3d   Bengal   Fusileers,  now  Adjutant   of 
Hodson's  Horse  and  V.  C. 


MULES.  399 

knows  more  of  India  he  will  do  very  well  indeed,  I 
should  think.  Wise,  Macdowell,  Gough  the  younger, 
and  a  Mr.  Cockerell,  are  with  me.  I  can  make  out 
nothing  of  our  probable  plans,  or  rather  of  the  Chief's. 
"  Waiting  for  orders  "  seems  to  be  the  order  of  the  day. 
If  something  is  not  speedily  decided,  the  hot  weather  will 
be  on  us  before  our  work  is  over,  and  this  would  tell  ter 
ribly  on  us  all. 

CAMP,  KAIMGUNGE,  January  8th.  —  We  remain  here 
to-morrow,  and  then  return,  I  fancy,  to  head-quarters.  I 
can  bear  up  manfully  against  absence  and  separation 
when  we  are  actually  doing  anything  ;  but  when  I  see 
nothing  doing  towards  an  end,  I  confess  my  heart  sinks, 
and  my  spirit  hungers  after  rest.  I  should  be  very,  very, 
glad  if  dear  Maynard  would  make  up  her  mind  to  join 
you.  It  would  be  a  real  comfort  to  me  to  think  that  we 
had  been  able  to  do  anything  towards  contributing  to  her 
peace  or  comfort.  Independently  of  my  sincere  regard 
for  her,  she  is  her  father's  daughter,  and  I  owe  him  too 
much  gratitude  and  reverence  not  to  desire  to  show  it  in 
every  way  to  all  of  the  name  and  blood  of  Thomason. 

KAIMGUNGE,  January  Wth.  —  Our  time  has  been  taken 
up  with  riding  about  the  country  after  Whippoorwills, 
which  elude  our  search  and  grasp,  the  only  consolation 
being  fine  exercise  in  a  fine  country.  Will  you  ask 
Lord  W.  Hay  whether,  if  the  report  of  his  going  home 
be  true,  he  will  resell  me  the  mules  ?  I  should  be  most 
thankful  to  get  them  again,  and  twice  the  number ;  they 
are  much  better  for  baggage  than  ponies,  carry  larger 
loads,  and  do  not  knock  up  so  soon. 

CAMP,  FUTTEHGUHH,  January  12th. — We  returned 
from  our  brief  expedition  this  morning,  not  having  effected 
much,  though  we  frightened  many,  I  have  no  doubt.  I 


400  LONGING  FOR  HOME. 

was  just  talking  to  Colonel  Hope  (himself  an  old  60th 
man),  about  my  dear  good  friend  Douglas,  when  I  got 
your  letter  inclosing  his  most  welcome  one.  How  re 
joiced  I  shall  be  if  he  returns  to  India  with  his  battalion  ! 
I  quite  long  to  see  him  once  more.  Indeed,  as  time  goes 
on,  old  ties  of  affection  and  friendship  seem  to  unite  them 
selves  more  intimately  with  newer  and  dearer  ones,  and 
my  heart  pines  more  and  more  for  home  and  all  which 
nought  but  home  can  give. 

FUTTEHGURH,  January  14th.  —  I  was  unhappily  so 
much  delayed  by  a  tedious  review  yesterday  morning, 
and  an  interview  with  the  Chief  afterwards,  that  I  did 
not  get  to  my  tent  till  after  post-time,  though  I  am  thank 
ful  to  say  I  found  some  very  precious  missives,  —  the 
dear  girls'  letters  were  a  treat  indeed,  and  gave  me  very 
real  pleasure.  I  am  beginning  to  hope  that  I  shall  have 
my  previous  services  recognized  ;  for  although  I  do  not 
know  that  any  record  of  the  promise  of  a  majority  was 
down  in  Leadenhall  Street,  still  Lord  Dalhousie's  prom 
ise  was  distinct,  and  there  is  evidently  every  desire  on 
our  present  Chief's  part  to  do  me  justice.  You  ask 
about  my  position  here,  and  do  not  quite  understand  how 
the  safety  of  the  camp  can  depend  on  my  vigilance. 
This  referred  not  to  this  camp,  but  to  Colonel  Beaton's 
(now  at  last  a  Brigadier),  where  I  not  only  was  Assist 
ant  Quartermaster-General,  but  had  all  the  outposts  to 
furnish.  Here  I  arn  desired  to  continue  my  intelligence 
business  ;  but  there  is  another  officer  (Captain  Bruce) 
actually  in  charge  of  the  department.  I  suppose  it  is 
intended  rather  to  employ  me  when  detached  from  the 
main  force,  as  the  other  day  under  Brigadier  Hope. 
However,  I  am  at  present  in  charge  of  all  in  Captain 
Bruce's  absence,  and  my  continuing  it  or  not  depends 


BRIGADIER  WALPOLE.  401 

very  much  on  circumstances.  Nothing  can  be  kinder  or 
more  cordial  than  the  Commander-in-Chief  and  General 
Mansfield.  We  seem  destined  to  halt  here  at  present ; 
half  the  day  has  been  occupied  in  changing  ground.  So 
when  one  can't  get  one's  tent  pitched  till  1  or  2  P.  M., 
there  is  little  time  for  writing  for  a  post  closing  at  5,  con 
sidering  that  business  and  eating  and  washing  have  to  be 
performed.  I  must  try  a^d  write  more  to-night. 

CAMP  ON  THE  RAMGUNGA,  January  loth.  —  I  left  off 
my  last  letter  with  a  promised  intention  of  writing  more 
last  night,  but  the  result  of  dining  with  the  Chief  was, 
that  I  was  kept  up  so  late  and  had  to  rise  so  early  that  I 
was  fain  to  carry  my  weary  limbs  to  bed  at  once.  We 
have  been  occupied  all  day  in  getting  down  here  from  the 
big  camp  at  Futtehgurh  some  ten  miles  off,  so  that  I  am 
again  perforce  obliged  to  renew  instead  of  fulfilling  my 
promise.  You  will  hear  of  me  before  this  reaches  you  ; 
General  Grant  and  Majors  Norman  and  Turner  having 
taken  wing  to  Umbala  for  a  few  days.  They  have  had 
no  holiday  since  May,  and  heartily  deserved  one,  though 
I  must  confess  I  did  feel  a  little  envious  when  I  saw 
them  off.  What  would  not  I  give  for  home  once  more  ! 

We  are  here  to  force  a  passage  across  the  Ramgunga, 
a  confluent  of  the  Ganges  on  the  road  to  Bareilly  ;  but 
it  does  not  follow  that  we  shall  go  there  when  the  passage 
is  open.  Brigadier  Walpole  commands,  and  we  have 
enough  troops  to  eat  up  Rohilcund  ;  whether  we  (»'.  <?., 
my  regiment)  partake  of  the  "  finish  "  in  Oude  or  not,  no 
one  can  pretend  to  foretell. 

Colonel  Becher  will  be  at  Umbala  soon,  on  his  way 
home.  You  will  be  kind  to  him  I  am  sure,  both  be 
cause  you  like  him  personally,  and  because  he  has  been 
most  kind  and  considerate  to  me.  It  was  very  ungra- 


402  RAMGUNGA.  —  DISCIPLINE. 

cious  as  well  as  ungraceful,  that  his  name  was  not 
mentioned  in  the  Despatches  as  it  ought  to  have  been  ; 
but  he  is  not  the  only  one  who  has  cause  to  complain  of 
the  "  ungraciousness  "  of  our  Delhi  General. 

CAMP  ON  THE  RAMGUNGA,  January  Ylih. — We  are 
still  in  the  same  undignified  attitude  of  looking  at  noth 
ing  and  doing  as  little ;  but  the  halt  has  been  very  useful 
to  me  in  the  way  of  getting  through  business,  and  I 
have  hardly  stirred  from  rny  table  all  clay.  The  plun 
dering  propensities  of  some  of  my  men  have  given  me 
much  occupation  and  annoyance,  as  I  always  feel  that 
the  ill-conduct  of  a  regiment  must  more  or  less  reflect 
on  the  officers.  The  rascals  will  not  discriminate  be 
tween  an  enemy's  property,  which  is  fair  game,  and  that 
of  the  villagers  and  cultivators  of  the  soil.  I  have  sev 
eral  times  been  obliged  to  bring  them  up  with  a  sharp 
hand  to  save  myself  from  discredit.  I  sent  three  sowars 
to-day  to  the  Brigadier  with  evidence  and  proof  enough 
to  hang  them,  but  he  begged  me  to  dispose  of  the  matter 
summarily  myself;  but  as  I  did  not  choose  to  be  judge, 
jury,  and  hangman  all  in  one,  they  saved  their  lives  at 
the  expense  of  their  backs,  though  I  believe  the  punish 
ment  was  greater  to  me  than  to  them,  for  I  abhor  flog 
ging,  and  never  resort  to  it  but  in  the  extremest  cases. 
Still  I  must  be  obeyed  by  these  wild  hordes  coute  qui 
coute ;  and  when  reason  and  argument  fail,  they  must 
learn  that  I  will  not  weakly  refrain  from  sterner  meas 
ures.  I  am  happy  to  find  Sir  Colin  ready  to  back  me 
a  Voutrance  so  as  to  maintain  discipline.  Have  you 
written  to  our  dear  friends  Napier  and  Prendergast  yet  ? 
The  latter  is  in  Calcutta  with  his  bride  long  ago.  Sir 
James  Outram.  and  Napier  have  given  Mister  Pandy  a 
glorious  thrashing  at  Alumbagh.  Hurrah ! 


REFUSAL   OF  EXTRA    PAY.  403 

January  1 9th.  —  I  had  to  go  over  to  see  the  Chief, 
yesterday,  and  did  not  return  till  night.  I  also  saw  good 
Colonel  Seaton  and  Beeher,  who  (the  last)  starts  in  a 
day  or  two  for  home  and  England.  I  did  know  about 
Mr.  Wemyss's  good  appointment,  for  Sir  Colin  good- 
naturedly  gave  me  the  letter  to  take  to  him.  Weinyss  is 
a  lucky  fellow,  and  will,  I  hope,  do  credit  to  his  luck. 
I  only  wish  I  had  some  family  interest  to  bring  into 
play ;  my  lieutenant-colonelcy  would  be  certain.  II. 
Maxwell  is  to  be  the  new  Adjutant  of  my  dear  old 
regiment,  and  ought  to  make  a  good  one ;  there  is  no 
one  now  with  the  regiment  who  has  any  experience  of 
the  work,  and  Maxwell  is  more  likely  to  learn  than 
many ;  he  has  grown  such  a  tall  handsome  fellow  since 
we  saw  him  at  Benares,  and  is  said  to  be  a  fine  soldier 
in  the  field.  Mac  has  a  letter  from  Lord  William  speak 
ing  with  enthusiasm  of  the  conduct  of  some  of  the  ladies 
during  the  Simla  panics.  He  does  not  seem  to  be  the 
only  one  who  thinks  that  heroism  in  the  hills  is  confined 
to  the  weaker  sex.  I  am  working  to  get  some  pay  as 
Assistant  Quartermaster-General,  in  addition  to  my  pay 
as  commandant,  which  the  pay  officer  objects  to,  on  the 
ground  that  one  man  cannot  draw  the  pay  of  two  offices. 
They  should  have  had  two  men  to  do  it  then ;  for  I 
worked  like  a  slave,  and  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire. 
I  saw  and  had  a  long  talk  with  your  "  charming "  Mr. 
Raikes  yesterday. 

January  22d.  —  There  has  been  no  news  of  public 
importance  for  some  days,  so  I  am  taking  advantage 
of  the  halt  and  comparative  idleness  to  work  off  arrears 
of  business  and  papers,  and  to  prepare  rolls  and  pay 
abstracts  for  Captain  Swinton's  office.  I  have  conse 
quently  not  been  half  a  mile  from  my  tent  these  two 


404      MR.  MONTGOMERY.  — FUTTEHGURH. 

days  ;  moreover,  I  am  resting  my  unlucky  ankle,  which 
has  given  me  much  pain  and  trouble  lately.  I  am 
very  glad  Mr.  Montgomery  is  at  Umbala.  I  am  sure 
you  would  tell  him  how  grateful  I  have  ever  felt  for  his 
assistance  in  raising  my  regiment ;  the  two  troops  he 
sent  me  I  shall  call  Montgomery's  troops,  and  the  men 
will  like  it  too.  I  am  sadly  off  for  horses,  so  if  you 
really  do  not  care  to  ride  until  "  the  sweet  time  of  grace  " 
of  our  reunion,  I  shall  be  very  thankful  for  Selim. 
"Will  you  ask  Mr.  Forsyth  to  ascertain  for  me  by  tele 
graph,  whether  Mr.  Eliot  at  Loodiana  has  sent  off  my 
other  troop  from  thence  ?  I  must  try  and  get  as  many 
of  my  men  together  as  I  can  during  this  halt. 

23d.  —  Our  friend  Colonel  Seaton  is  to  have  com 
mand  of  a  district  to  be  formed  of  Allygurh,  Futteh- 
gurh,  Mynpooree,  and  the  post  at  Meerun-ke-Serai.  It 
is  a  very  honorable'  and  important  post ;  but  he  would 
prefer,  and  I  for  him,  a  more  active  command.  I  ex 
pect  the  rest  of  the  force  will  move  into  Oudh  soon,  and 
I  do  trust  to  be  at  the  ultimate  capture  of  Lucknow, 
which  ought  to  earn  me  the  Queen's  Cross,  if  "  deerin 
do  "  can  gain  it. 

24^.  —  They  say  we  are  to  move  soon,  but  no  one 
knows  for  certain,  as  I  have  not  been  into  head-quarters 
for  some  days ;  meantime  my  pen  is  busy,  very  busy, 
with  six  months'  arrears  to  work  off,  but  I  am  getting 
on  at  it  famously. 

FUTTEHGURH,  2Qth.  —  Late  last  night  I  was  roused 
up  by  an  order  to  march  in  here  at  dawn,  so  here,  accord 
ingly,  we  came;  and  now  at  10  p.  M.  we  are  off  again, 
on  some  expedition  which  will  last  us  a  few  days.* 

*  Mr.  Charles  Raikes,  in  his  interesting  Notes  on  the  Revolt,  p.  109, 
says:  "At  night  I  warned  Mr.  Power  for  duty,  to  go  out  with  the 


ENGAGEMENT.  —  MACDOWELL  KILLED.  405 

The  Chief  sent  for  me  as  soon  as  we  came  in,  and  was 
very  communicative,  and  asked  my  opinion  in  most  flat 
tering  terms.  I  gave  it  honestly,  and  only  hope  he  will 
follow  it,  if  we  are  to  make  an  end  of  this  business  before 
another  hot  season  sets  in.  I  fancy  the  whole  force  will 
be  in  motion  soon  towards  Oudh ;  but  nothing  is  cer 
tainly  known  as  yet,  except  that  we  go  to  our  old  place 
Shumshabad.  Colonel  Adrian  Hope  again  commands 
the  brigade  ;  we  start  almost  immediately,  and  shall,  I 
hope,  do  something  effective. 


FORT  FUTTEHGURH,  Jan.  iMi. 

(  Written  with  the  left  hand,  in  pencil.) 

Though  I  sent  you  a  telegram,  I  must  manage  a  few 
words  by  letter  to  tell  you  that  there  is  not  the  very 
slightest  cause  for  alarm  on  my  account,  for  I  am  really 
quite  well ;  only  my  right  arm  will*  be  useless  for  some 
weeks,  but  I  can  do  my  duty,  and  intend  to  march  with 
the  Commander-in- Chief.  What  grieves  me  most  is  the 
loss  of  poor  Mac  ;  he  was  invaluable  to  me  as  a  brilliant 
soldier,  a  true  friend,  and  thorough  gentleman,  —  I  mourn 
as  for  a  brother.* 

Brigade.  I  found  it  difficult  to  convince  him  that  2,000  men,  quietly 
slumbering  around,  would,  in  the  course  of  an  half  hour,  be  under 
arms,  and  on  the  march  to  attack  the  enemy.  Scarce  a  creature 
in  the  camp,  save  General  Mansfield,  Adrian  Hope,  Hodson,  and  I, 
knew  the  plans  of  the  Commander-in-Chief.  The  men  had  gone  to 
bed  as  usual,  when  quietly  orders  were  issued,  and  by  half-past  ten, 
Hope,  with  his  Brigade,  was  on  his  march."  He  then  gives  several 
amusing  native  accounts  of  the  action  at  Shumshabad,  and  after 
wards  adds,  —  "  Rode  to  see  Hodson ;  he  is  much  cut  up  about  Mac- 
do well's  loss,  but  treats  his  own  wounds  very  lightly.  Being  in  his 
sword  arm,  we  shall  lose  his  invaluable  services  for  a  time." 

*  Charles  Theophilus  Metcalfe,  2nd  son  of  the  late  James  Mac- 
dowell,  Esq.,  of  Bengal  -Medical  Service,  born  29th  October,  1829, 
appointed  to  Honorable  East  India  Company's  Service,  1846.  Served 


406  WOUNDS. 

January  2$t/i. — My  constant  fear  is  that  you  should 
be  alarmed  for  me.  I  assure  you  there  is  not  the  slight 
est  occasion  for  anxiety.  I  have  a  cut  on  my  hand,  and 
another  sabre-cut  over  the  forearm,  but  neither  will  be 
of  more  than  temporary  inconvenience.  I  am  obliged  to 
write  with  my  left  hand,  that  is  all.  I  go  about  as  usual, 
and  dined  with  the  Chief  last  night.  It  was  a  splendid 
little  affair  at  Shumshabad,  and  our  men  and  officers  did 
wonders,  and  have  gained  great  credit.  We  charged  a 
large  body  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  superior  in  numbers, 
and  all  else,  to  ourselves.  They  fought  us  desperately, 
returning  twice  to  the  charge.  We  then  attacked  their 
infantry,  all  fanatics,  who  fought  with  the  courage  of  de 
spair.  Their  loss  must  have  been  immense  ;  but  we  have 
lost  one  who  outweighs  them  all.  I  cannot  tell  you  how 
much  I  feel  it.  We  bury  the  dear  fellow  this  evening 
by  the  side  of  the  murdered  Tudor  Tucker. 

In  a  letter  to   England  of  the  same  date,  he 

says : — 

CAMP,  FUTTEHGURH,  Jan.  31s^,  1858. 
(  Written  with  left  hand.) 

My  usual  fortune  deserted  me  on  the  27th,  at  Shum 
shabad,  for  I  got  two  sabre-cuts  on  my  right  arm,  which 
have  reduced  me  to  this  very  sinister  style  of  writing 
(absit  omen).  We  had  a  very  stiff  fight  of  it,  as  we 

in  Punjaub  campaign  of  1848-9,  including  passage  of  Chenab  at  Ram- 
nuggur,  and  battles  of  Chillianwallah  and  Goojerat,  in  which  he 
carried  the  colors  of  his  regiment,  2d  Bengal  European  Fusileers 
(medal  and  clusp).  Served  in  Burmah,  marched  with  his  regiment 
to  Delhi,  and  served  with  it  in  various  engagements,  till  in  August 
he  was  appointed  second  in  command  of  Hodson's  Horse. 

"  This  excellent  officer,  who  was  Captain  Hodson's  second  in  com 
mand,  and  right-hand  man,  sunk  under  his  wound,  to  the  sorrow  of 
all  who  knew  his  rare  value  as  a,  soldier."  —  Kaikes's  Nvlcs. 


TERRIBLE   MELEE.  407 

were  far  in  advance  of  the  rest  of  the  troops,  and  had  to 
charge  a  very  superior  body  of  the  mutineer  cavalry  ; 
but  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  fighting1,  as,  had  we  not 
attacked  them,  they  would  have  got  in  amongst  our  guns. 
We  were  only  three  officers,  and  about  180  horsemen,  — • 
my  poor  friend,  and  second  in  command,  Macdowell,  hav 
ing  received  a  mortal  wound  a  few  minutes  before  we 
charged.  It  was  a  terrible  melee  for  some  time,  and  we 
were  most  wonderfully  preserved.  However,  we  gave 
them  a  very  proper  thrashing,  and  killed  their  leaders. 
Two  out  of  the  three  of  us  were  wounded,  and  five  of 
my  men  killed,  and  eleven  wounded,  besides  eleven 
horses.  My  horse  had  three  sabre-cuts,  and  I  got  two, 
which  I  consider  a  rather  unfair  share.  The  Command- 
er-in-Chief  is  very  well  satisfied,  I  hear,  with  the  day's 
work,  and  is  profusely  civil  and  kind  to  me.  The  force 
moves  on  to-morrow  towards  Cawnpore  and  Lucknow, 
which  has  at  last  to  be  conquered ;  for  neither  Outram, 
Havelock,  nor  the  Commander-in-Chief  were  able  to  ef 
fect  a  footing  in  Lucknow.  All  they  could  do  was  to 
bring  away  the  Residency  garrison.  All  the  lion's  share 
of  the  work,  in  the  six  weeks  which  intervened  between  the 
soi-disant  relief  of  the  Lucknow  garrison  by  Havelock, 
and  the  real  one  by  the  Commander-in-Chief,  was  done 
by  our  friend  Colonel  Napier.  He  is  the  best  man  we 
have  left,  now  that  poor  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  and  Nichol 
son  are  gone.  The  next  is  Major  Tombs,  or  I  am  much 

mistaken I  hope  to  return  to  Umbala  when  this 

war  is  over,  to  be  refitted  and  get  my  men  trained  and 
drilled,  which  is  very  necessary.  I  do  hope  to  be  able  to 
get  home  and  see  your  dear  faces  once  more,  as  soon  as 
our  great  task  is  accomplished.  I  want  a  change,  after 
twelve  years  of  work,  and  I  want  to  try  what  home  and 


408  WOUNDS. 

good  treatment  will  do  for  my  ankle,  which  is  very  bad ; 
in  fact,  I  am  unable  to  walk  a  hundred  yards  without 
pain.  Well,  I  think  I  have  done  pretty  well  with  my 
left  hand.  They  say  I  shall  be  well  in  six  weeks, 
in  ten  days  ;  I  trust  so. 


To  his  Wife. 

FUTTEHGURH,  Jan.  30th. 

Mr.  Raikes  tells  me  that  he  wrote  to  you  immediately 
after  the  action  at  Shumshabad,  lest  you  should  be  made 
unhappy  by  report.  This  was  most  kind  and  thoughtful 
of  him  ;  and  I  do  hope,  therefore,  that  among  so  many 
kind  friends  you  will  have  been  spared  any  unnecessary 
pain.  Everybody  is  very  complimentary ;  even  men  I 
never  spoke  to  before.  A  flattering  rascal  told  me  he 
considered  it  an  "  honor  (forsooth  !)  to  shake  even  my 
left  hand."  I  might  become  too  proud  with  so  much  no 
tice,  but  the  memory  of  1854-55  is  ever  before  me.  The 
Comrnander-in-Chief  has  been  unable  to  move  as  yet,  for 
many  reasons,  but  I  fancy  we  shall  march  ere  long.  I 
am  wonderfully  well,  and  the  big  wound  is  actually  clos 
ing  already  !  is  not  that  famous  ? 

January  3\st.  —  I  have  been  busy  until  post-time  with 
looking  over  poor  Mac's  things,  and  taking  an  inventory 
of  them  for  his  mother.  I  am  sure  you  will  write  to  her 
as  soon  as  we  can  ascertain  her  address.  We  march  on 
towards  Cawnpore  to-morrow  morning  ;  it  is  a  grief  to 
me  to  be  disabled  ever  so  little  just  at  this  time,  but  in  a 
very  few  days  I  shall  be  all  right  again. 

January  31st. — The  Chief  wont  let  me  go  on  just 
yet,  though  I  really  am  perfectly  able  to  do  so.  I  am  not 
a  bit  the  worse  for  these  wounds,  beyond  the  temporary 


PRIZE  MONEY  FOR   DELHI,  409 

inconvenience  and  disgust  at  being  hors  de  combat  in  such 
times  as  these.  I  look  forward  with  the  utmost  pleasure 
to  seeing  our  friend  Napier  at  L/ucknow  ;  I  wish  we 
could  hear  from  him.  Inglis's  despatch  is,  as  you  say, 
most  touching,  and  his  conduct  most  admirable,  as  well 
as  hers.  I  always  thought  her  a  fine  character. 

February  1st  and  2d.  —  I  am  really  doing  very  well, 
and  the  wounds  are  healing  wonderfully  fast.  In  ten 
days  I  hope  to  use  my  arm  ;  they  threatened  me  with  six 
weeks  !  I  have  indeed  cause  for  gratitude,  not  only  for 
my  preservation  from  greater  evil,  but  for  this  rapid  re 
covery  ;  happily  I  was  in  good  health  at  the  time,  and 
these  wounds  depend  almost  entirely  on  the  state  of  the 
blood.  I  shall  remain  here  until  the  day  after  to-mor 
row,  and  then  accompany  Brigadier  Walpole's  brigade  to 
join  the  Chief  at  Cawnpore.  Colonel  Burn  drives  me 
along  in  a  buggy  ;  for  though  I  can  ride,  it  is  not  advis 
able  to  run  the  risk  of  a  shake.  Every  one  is  most 
kind  ;  Sir  Colin  markedly  so.  We  are  to  have  prize 
money  for  Delhi  after  all ;  this  will  please  as  well  as  ben 
efit  the  army,  the  soldiers  not  being  over-well  contented 
with  the  six  months'  batta,  thinking  that  was  all  they 
were  to  get.  It  is  hardly,  perhaps,  to  be  expected  that 
the  masses  should  be  satisfied  with  the  mere  conscious 
ness  of  having  done  their  duty  through  such  months  of 
suffering  as  those  before  Delhi. 

A  soldier  wrote  upon  the  walls  of  the  Delhi  palace 
(alluding  to  Lord  Canning's  foolish  order  about  six 
months'  donation  of  batta,  which  is  but  thirty-six  rupees 
and  some  odd  pence  for  each  man)  :  — 

"  For  the  salvation  of  India,  the  British  soldier  gets 
thirty-six  rupees  ten  annas,  or  one  rupee  one  anna  per 
battle  ;  "  adding :  — 

18 


410  JEU   D'   ESPRIT. 

"  When  danger's  rife  and  wars  are  nigh, 
God  and  the  soldier's  all  the  cry: 
When  wars  are  o'er  and  matters  righted, 
God  is  forgotten  and  the  soldier  slighted." 

Would  you  credit  it  ?  The  Calcutta  wiseacres  sent  up 
orders  to  institute  a  strict  inquiry  who  wrote  this  jeu 
d' esprit.  What  nuts  for  the  rascal  who  did  it  to  see  how 
deep  his  hit  had  rankled ! 

February  3d.  —  I  am  overwhelmed  with  letters  of  con 
gratulation,  which  I  can  only  acknowledge  by  a  few  lines 
in  this  sinister  writing.  Light  has  written  very  warmly, 
also  Lord  William ;  you  must  thank  them  both  for  me  at 
present,  as  we  march  for  Cawnpore  early  in  the  morning. 
So  I  shall  be  at  the  capture  of  Lucknow  after  all !  and 
after  that  may  God  restore  us  to  each  other  to  part  no 
more! 

CAMP,  JELLALABAD,  ON  THE  GRAND  TRUNK  ROAD, 
February  oth.  —  We  shall  be  at  Cawnpore  in  four  days 
more,  I  trust.  Nothing  can  be  more  favorable  than  the 
state  of  my  wounds,  and  I  have  felt  scarcely  any  incon 
venience  from  travelling.  I  am  fortunate  in  having 
Colonel  Burn  for  a  travelling  companion ;  pleasant,  intel 
ligent,  and  warm-hearted.  He  drives  me  in  his  buggy, 
and  we  breakfast  together  al  fresco.  Fancy  the  Carabi 
neers  of  poor  Captain  Wardlaw's  squadron  sending  a 
deputation,  headed  by  a  sergeant,  to  say  on  the  part  of 
the  men  how  grieved  they  were  that  I  was  hurt,  and  to 
express  their  hope  that  I  should  soon  be  well  and  in  the 
field  again.  I  confess  these  things  are  more  gratifying  to 
me  than  any  mention  in  despatches. 

CAMP,  MEERUN-KE-SERAI,  February  6th.  —  We  had 
a  very  trying  march  this  morning,  a  gale  of  wind  bringing 
up  clouds  of  dust  and  grit,  which  cut  one's  face  and  eyes 


CAWNPORE.  411 

to  pieces.  I  half  wished  I  was  a  lady  to  wear  a  veil ! 
We  overtook  Maunsell,  of  the  Engineers,  who  was  so 
badlj  wounded  at  Delhi,  poor  fellow ;  he  is  quite  recov 
ered,  but  his  handsome  face  a  good  deal  disfigured  by  the 
wound  in  his  forehead.  The  Governor- General  is  at 
Allahabad,  and  I  believe  Sir  Colin  is  gone  on  to  meet 
him.  I  am  doing  well,  and  getting  more  handy  in  the 
use  of  my  left  hand,  but  'tis  a  cruel  nuisance  having  only 
one  to  resort  to.  The  weather  is  getting  warm  very  fast* 
in  these  parts,  and  I  fear  we  shall  have  the  hot  weather 
on  us  very  soon.  However,  as  soon  as  Lucknow  has 
finally  fallen,  I  shall  make  every  effort  to  get  away  to 
organize  and  discipline  rny  regiment,  and  for  rest  and 
home  for  myself. 

February  Sth,  —  I  go  on  into  Cawnpore  in  the  morn 
ing,  making  two  marches  in  one ;  my  arm  has  not  been 
going  on  quite  so  well  the  last  three  days,  owing,  the 
doctor  says,  to  the  sharp  wind.  The  wound  on  the  thumb 
is  nearly  closed,  and  I  shall  be  all  right,  I  hope,  after  two 
or  three  days'  quiet  at  Cawnpore.  The  getting  up  in  the 
cold  mornings  is  very  trying,  now  that  I  am  unable  to 
ride  or  walk  to  get  warm. 

CAWNPORE,  February  Wth.  —  I  got  here  in  good  time 
yesterday,  but  was  kept  constantly  at  work  fomenting 
this  tiresome  arm,  which  had  got  somewhat  inflamed  from 
the  effects  of  the  journey.  To-day  we  cross  the  river,  and 
encamp  a  mile  or  two  on  the  other  side,  and  there  I  hope 
to  halt  for  a  few  days.  I  found  letters  here  from  Cal 
cutta,  and  have  had  a  visit  from  Charles  Harland,  who 
is  as  jolly  and  hearty  as  ever.  Our  friend  (Napier)  is 
Chief  Engineer  with  the  force,  and  a  Brigadier  to  boot. 
I  hope  to  see  him  in  a  day  or  two.  I  have  not  been  to 
the  Chief's  camp  yet ;  it  is  a  long  way  off,  and  my  arm 


412  HOME  MEMORIES. 

has  prevented  me  doing  anything.  I  shall  be  very  thank 
ful  when  it  is  well,  if  but  to  use  it  for  writing,  —  this  left- 
handed  calligraphy  is  sad  slow  work. 

CAMP  ON  THE  LEFT  BANK  OF  THE  GANGES,  Feb 
ruary  \\th.  —  I  came  across  the  river  late  in  the  evening, 
and  am  very  glad  I  did  so,  as  the  air  is  much  purer,  and 
there  is  no  dust.  My  arm  is  already  better  for  the  rest, 
and  I  hope  soon  to  be  able  to  begin  to  use  it.  Do  not 
'buoy  yourself  up  with  hope  of  honors  for  me.  I  shall 
be  a  Brevet-Major,  and  nothing  more  I  expect.  It  seems 
the  authorities  here  never  sent  home  a  list  of  men  rec 
ommended  for  honors ;  and  the  home  authorities  have 
been  waiting  until  they  get  one.  "  Hinc  illee  lacrymse  ! " 
And  we  shall  all  suffer  by  the  delay  in  more  ways  than 
one.  But  we  are  certainly  to  have  prize  money,  and  this, 
with  the  batta,  will  take  us  home  this  time  next  year  if 
not  sooner.  Dear,  dear  home,  sadly  changed  and  con 
tracted  since  I  left  it,  but  home  still,  and  dearer  than  ever 
since  the  dearest  part  of  myself  will  accompany  me.  .  .  . 
All  old  home  memories  were  so  vividly  revived  yester 
day  by  Charles  Harland's  visit,  and  an  extract  he  read 
me  from  a  letter  from  his  brother,  describing  the  enthu 
siasm  of  the  old  people  at  Colwich,*  when  the  news 
arrived  that  the  King  of  Delhi  was  our  prisoner,  and 
how  they  came  to  inquire  whether  it  was  really  their 
"  Master  William  "  who  had  done  it  ?  Bless  their  inno 
cent  hearts,  where  was  they  riz  ?  as would  say.  I 

am  sadly  at  a  loss  for  a  second  in  command,  and  do  not 
know  whom  to  ask  for,  as  officers  are  so  scarce.  I  have 
twice  made  an  attempt  to  ask  for  Reginald  to  join  me  to 
do  duty,  but  my  fears  for  you  have  made  me  hesitate ; 
and  the  lesson  of  the  other  day  has  taught  me  the  fearful 
*  His  father's  old  parish. 


CAPTAIN  PEEL.  413 

risk  the  dear  boy  would  run  in  an  irregular  cavalry  regi 
ment,  with  such  work  as  mine.  Still,  if  you  and  he  wish 
it,  I  will  ask  for  him. 

February  l'2th.  —  Here  I  am,  you  see,  writing  (such 
as  it  is)  with  my  right  hand  once  more.  I  am,  indeed, 
wonderfully  better,  and  hope  to  be  on  horseback  in  a  few 
days.  The  scar  on  my  arm  is  a  very  ugly  one,  and  will 
mark  me  for  life ;  but  then,  as  I  am  not  a  lady  to  wear 
short  sleeves,  it  does  not  signify.  I  was  much  disap 
pointed  this  morning  to  hear  from  Colonel  Bevin,  who 
came  out  to  see  me,  that  Napier  had  been  through  our 
camp  this  morning,  not  knowing  I  was  here !  He  is  in 
Cawnpore,  and  the  doctor  wont  let  me  go  and  see  him 
to-day,  and  we  march  on  towards  Lucknow  to-morrow. 
It  will  be  some  days  yet  before  the  whole  force  is  col 
lected  at  Alumbagh.  Captain  Peel  has  just  gone  by 
with  his  sailors  and  their  enormous  ship-guns,  68-pound- 
ers  !  I  have  little  doubt  but  that  Lucknow  will  be  in 
our  hands  before  another  month  is  over ;  and  then  I  shall 
do  my  utmost  to  get  my  regiment  sent  back  to  Umbala  to 
be  formed  and  drilled,  which  it  wants  badly.  I  only 
wonder  it  does  as  well  as  it  is.  I  could  hardly  take  any 
other  appointment,  or  even  go  home,  until  I  had  com 
pleted  this  task ;  and  I  like  my  regiment,  and  what  is 
even  more  to  the  purpose,  the  regiment  likes  me,  and 
would  follow  me  any  and  everywhere,  I  do  believe. 

CAMP,  OONAO,  February  13th. — Only  a  short  letter 
to-day,  as  I  have  been  writing  a  right-handed  one  to 
"  O.,"  to  satisfy  the  dear  anxious  hearts  at  home.  I  am 
able  to  use  my  arm,  but  very  gently,  and  shall  ride  to 
morrow.  Oh,  the  pleasure  of  feeling  myself  on  the 
outside  of  a  horse  again ! 

February  l&h.  —  Your  telegram  has  been  going  the 


414  OONAO. 

rounds  of  all  the  camps  before  it  found  me  out.  Indeed, 
you  must  not  be  anxious  on  my  account,  or  listen  to  the 
wild  reports  which  are  always  rife.  Be  sure,  if  anything 
were  amiss,  there  are  plenty  of  our  friends  here  to  send 
you  the  truth.  I  could  not  dream  of  your  coming  to 
Cawnpore.  I  would  not  hear  of  it  even  at  Futtehgurh, 
for,  though  your  nursing  and  presence  would  be  infinitely 
precious  to  me,  a  camp  is  no  fit  place  for  you.  I  am, 
indeed,  going  on  wonderfully,  and  but  for  the  attack  of 
inflammation  I  spoke  of,  and  which  turned  out  to  be  ery 
sipelas,  I  should  have  been  quite  well  before  this ;  and  as 
it  is,  I  am  actually  nearer  to  a  total  cure  than  the  men 
(Sikhs  even)  who  were  wounded  the  same  day.  My  ab 
stinence  from  spirit-drinking  has  stood  me  in  good  stead. 

February  15th.  —  No  letters  again  to-day!  I  wish  the 
Commander-in-Chief  would  come  out  from  Cawnnore, 
and  there  would  be  some  chance  of  better  postal  duty. 
He  is  said  to  be  waiting  until  the  convoy  of  ladies  from 
Agra  has  passed  down,  lest  anything  should  occur  to  dis 
turb  the  road  where  he  had  crossed  into  Oude  with  the 
army,  —  a  not  unlikely  thing  to  happen.  I  have  just  seen 
a  notice  of  my  birth,  parentage,  and  education,  and  ser 
vices,  in  the  Illustrated  News,  as  also  Seaton's  account  of 
the  capture  of  the  Princes.  Strange  to  say,  the  former 
is  not  wrong  or  exaggerated  in  any  principal  point.  The 
latter  is  also  in  the  Evening  Mail,  and  I  have  the  honor 
of  appearing  in  big  print  in  the  leading  article.  I  see 
also  a  letter  signed  "  A  Civilian  ;  "  not  a  bad  resume  in 
its  way.  I  can  cock  and  fire  a  pistol  with  the  right  hand, 
and  am  constantly  working  the  arm  about  to  prevent  its 
growing  stiff;  and  I  want  to  show  how  much  the  will  has 
to  do  with  getting  over  these  things. 

OONAO,  February  16th.  —  I  have  this  morning  sue- 


NAPIER  AND  SIR   COLIN  CAMPBELL.  415 

ceeded  in  exhuming  four  letters  from  the  bottom  of  about 
a  hundred-weight  of  correspondence  addressed  to  all  parts 
of  the  world  ;  the  bag  was  sent  up  here  in  the  night  for 
people  to  find  their  letters  as  they  could.  Mine  have 
made  me  so  happy.  This  has  been  a  red-letter  day  too, 
for  I  have  at  last  seen  our  friend  Napier.  He  rode  out 
here  with  Sir  Colin,  and  I  need  not  say  how  thoroughly 
delighted  I  was  to  see  him  once  more.  He  is  looking 
better  but  older  than  when  we  parted,  but  his  charming, 
affectionate  manner  is  as  nice  as  ever.  God  bless  him ! 
I  do  love  him  dearly,  as  if  he  were  indeed  my  born 
brother.  A  note  from  him  arrived  while  he  was  here  ; 
it  had  been  three  days  going  ten  miles  !  Sir  Colin  was 
most  kind  and  cordial,  and  prophesies  I  shall  soon  be 
Lieut.-Colonel.  I  told  him  I  feared  there  was  small  hope 
of  that,  unless  my  majority  could  be  counted  as  for  the 
Punjaub  campaign,  as  Lord  Dalhousie  promised,  but  that 
it  had  not  been  put  on  record.  He  immediately  said, 
"  Oh,  I'll  do  that  with  the  greatest  pleasure  ;  let  me  have 
a  memorandum  of  your  services,  and  I'll  do  all  I  can  for 
you,  and  I  hope  soon  to  shake  hands  with  you  as  Lieut- 
Colonel,  C.  B.,  and  Victoria  Cross  to  boot."  I  confess  I 
liked  this,  because  it  was  spontaneous  ;  it  is  not  the  first 
time  I  have  heard  a  whisper  about  the  Victoria  Cross, 
and  I  confess  I  do  care  most  for  this  ;  I  would  rather 
have  it  than  be  made  a  duke.  My  arm  is  going  on  ad 
mirably,  and  you  may  be  quite  satisfied  about  me  now 
I  am  near  our  friend ;  he  will  always  do  what  is  kind, 
that  we  may  be  quite  sure  of,  and  all  that  is  best  and  ten- 
derest  too,  where  you  or  I  are  concerned.  I  shall  try  to 
get  away  immediately  after  Lucknow  is  taken,  but  I  fear 
every  man  may  be  needed  for  some  time,  even  after  that 
much-desired  event  takes  place. 


416  BRIGADIER   LUGARD. 

CAMP,  OONAO,  February  17th.  —  I  grieve  deeply  at 
your  anxiety,  and  can  scarcely  understand  your  "  terror 
at  the  very  name  of  Cawnpore  and  Lucknow,"  except  for 
what  has  passed.  I  am  not  nearly  so  much  exposed  to 
peril  here  as  at  Delhi ;  the  place,  too,  and  time  of  year 
are  more  healthy ;  so  continue  to  "  hope  on,"  bravely 
now  as  ever,  until  the  end,  which  must  be  very  soon. 
....  I  am  going  to  spend  to-morrow  in  Cawnpore  with 
Napier,  and  have  a  big  talk.  The  delay  in  the  brevet 
is  an  accident,  not  owing  to  the  home  authorities.  It 
has  gone  home  now,  and  my  name  is  in  it,  Sir  Colin 
told  me. 

CAWNPORE,  February  IWi. —  I  shall  ride  back  to 
Oonao  early  to-morrow  morning ;  the  temptation  of  Na 
pier's  society  was  irresistible  ;  it  is  such  a  pleasure  to 
see  him  again.  There  will  be  no  move  hence  until  the 
23d,  I  think,  though  it  is  getting  rapidly  hot  in  this  hate 
ful  place ;  but  on  the  other  side  the  river  it  is  cool,  and 
Lucknow  is  even  more  so,  I  hear.  Osborn  Wilkinson 
has  been  here,  and  has  gone  on  towards  Alumbagh.  I 
shall  try  and  get  him  for  my  regiment,  if  but  to  do  duty ; 
he  is  a  fine  fellow  and  thorough  soldier. 

OONAO,  February  20th. —  I  rode  out  from  Cawnpore 
this  morning ;  Colonels  Napier  and  Lugard  accompany 
ing  me  for  some  miles,  —  the  latter  only  arrived  yester 
day  ;  he  is  to  command  a  division  as  Brigadier-General, 
I  am  glad  to  say.  Our  friend  is  nicer  than  ever,  and 
looking  well. 

February  21st.  —  As  far  as  I  can  learn,  we  (i.  e.,  my 
Horse)  shall  have  but  little  to  do  with  the  actual  capture 
or  assault  of  Lucknow,  and  I  fancy  our  duty  will  be  pro 
tecting  the  flanks  and  rear  of  the  army  from  incursions 
of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  &c.  General  Lugard  came  out 


MARCH   TO   ALUMBAGH.  417 

this  morning  to  take  the  command.  I  hope  Napier  will 
soon  follow.  I  am  very  anxious  to  get  on  and  get  the 
affair  over. 

February  2'2d.  —  There  is  not  a  particle  of  news  of 
any  kind.  I  had  an  attack  of  fever  last  night,  but  it  is 
gone  this  morning,  and  I  am  all  right  again  ;  the  wound 
on  my  arm  is  quite  closed,  and  the  last  bandage  discarded  ; 
the  thumb  is  still  very  stiff,  and  the  joint  much  enlarged. 
My  wounds  have  healed  with  unprecedented  rapidity  ;  and 
I  cannot  be  sufficiently  grateful  that  I  am  so  soon  enabled 
to  return  to  my  duty.  Dear  Douglas  Seaton  has  been 
very  ill  again,  and  unable  to  leave  England,  as  he  in 
tended,  poor  fellow.  I  believe  half  his  illness  is  caused 
by  fretting  at  being  away  from  his  regiment  now  it  is  in 
the  field  ;  but  he  never  could  have  stood  the  trial  of  those 
months  before  Delhi.  The  Commander-in-Chief  tells  me 
that,  despairing  of  getting  the  list  of  recommendations 
for  Delhi  from  India,  the  Duke  of  Cambridge  is  making 
out  a  list  himself  from  the  despatches,  to  be  corrected 
hereafter  if  any  omissions  occur.  The  next  mail  may, 
therefore,  make  me  a  Major,  as  I  was  mentioned  even  in 
Wilson's  despatches.  God  grant  I  may  be  able  to  get 
home  ;  that  is  my  great  desire  now. 

February  23d.  —  It  is  midnight,  and  we  march  for 
Alurnbagh  at  4  A.  M.  ;  so  I  write  a  line  at  once  to  say  I 
am  doing  well,  and  will  send  a  telegram  if  anything  oc 
curs,  which  I  do  not  expect  yet.  There  has  been  a  big 
fight,  within  a  few  miles  of  us,  between  the  force  under 
General  Hope  Grant  and  the  rebels,  and  there  was  a 
bigger  on  Sunday  at  Lucknow  with  Sir  James  Outram's 
force.  I  have  got  hold  of  a  strip  of  newspaper  this 
morning,  with  Brigadier  Hope's  Shumshabad  despatch,  in 
which  I  figure  so  prominently  that  I  am  inclined  to  in- 

18* 


418  SUBSCRIPTION   TO    THE   ASYLUM. 

dorse  it  u  Hope  told  a  flattering  tale,"  and  send  it  home 
to  the  dear  girls.  The  convoy  arrived  this  morning 
(i.  e.,  the  ladies,  &c.)  from  Agra,  so  I  hope  the  Chief 
will  move  soon.  I  was  out  all  the  morning  with  General 
Lugard,  and  was  surprised  to  find  how  hot  the  weather  is 
getting  (in  the  sun)  even  here  ;  but  I  am  quite  well  — 
quite. 

In  a  letter  of  this  date  to  the  Chaplain  of  the 
Lawrence  Asylum,  he  says :  — 

...  I  have  only  to  add  that  in  gratitude  for  the  many 
and  unspeakable  mercies  which  I  have  received  during 
the  past  year,  and  also  as  a  token  of  most  affectionate 
regret  for  Sir  H.  Lawrence,  I  shall  thank  you  to  note  the 
increase  of  my  subscription  to  the  asylum  to  100  rupees 
per  annum. 


CONCLUDING   CHAPTER. 

ALUMBAGH,     LUCKNOW.  THE     BEGUM'S      PALACE.  — 

BANKS'S     HOUSE.  THE      SOLDIER'S     DEATH.  NO 
TICES.  CONCLUDING    REMARKS. 

To   his    Wife. 

CAMP,  ALUMBAGH,  NEAR  LUCKNOW, 
February  24</t. 

WE  arrived  here  last  night  at  dusk,  after  a  terribly 
dusty  march  of  thirty-six  miles.  To-day  we  had  a  bit 
of  a  fight.  The  Pandies,  ignorant  of  the  reinforcements 
which  had  arrived,  had  as  usual  come  round  one  flank 
of  the  camp,  so  we  moved  out  and  caught  them  as  they 
were  trying  to  get  back  again,  and  took  two  of  their  guns. 
By  "  we,"  I  mean  my  own  men  and  the  Military  Train 
men  from  home.  Young  Gough,  my  adjutant,  was 
wounded,  and  had  his  horse  shot.  I  was  luckily  in  the 
way,  or  it  would  have  gone  worse  with  him  ;  *  my  own 
horse  too  (pretty  "  Child  of  the  Desert ")  was  wounded, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  mount  a  sowar's  horse.  Gough  will 
be  laid  up  for  a  month,  I  fear  ;  it  is  a  flesh  wound  in 
the  thigh.  I  do  not  think  Master  Pandy  will  try  the 
same  trick  again.  We  have  been  out  so  long  that  there 
is  time  for  no  more  to-day  than  this  assurance  of  my 
safety. 

*  Lieutenant  Gough  says,  that  my  brother  saved  his  life  by  cutting 
down  a  rebel  trooper  in  the  very  act  of  spearing  him. 


420  SIR  JAMES    OUTRAM. 

ALUMBAGH,  February  25th.  —  I  have  been  calling  on 
Sir  James  Outram  this  morning,  and  had  a  most  pleasant 
interview  ;  the  brave  old  warrior  greeted  me  most  cor 
dially,  professing  his  satisfaction  at  having  at  last  met  one 
of  whom  he  had  heard  so  much,  &c.  &c.  The  pleasure 
was  certainly  mutual,  for  I  have  long  wished  to  meet  him. 
He  made  many  inquiries  about  you  also,  and  asked 
whether  you  had  not  been  in  the  hills  during  the  panic, 
and  helped  the  refugees,  &c.  How  proudly  I  could 
answer  all  his  praise  in  the  affirmative.  He  also  asked 
my  opinion  of  Lord  William's  administration,  and  I  was 
glad  of  the  opportunity  to  testify  in  his  favor.  Altogether 
this  good  old  soldier's  compliments  were  pleasing  to  me, 
particularly  as  he  was  not  one  of  those  who  in  iny  time 
of  trouble  passed  me  by  on  the  other  side. 

The  enemy  is  quite  quiet  to-day.  I  fancy  we  were  too 
much  for  his  philosophy  yesterday.  Fancy  the  Queen 
Regnant  corning  out  on  an  elephant  to  meet  us,  to  en 
courage  her  wavering  followers  !  I  wish  the  Chief  would 
make  haste  and  finish  this  business,  it  is  getting  cruelly 
hot  already. 

27th.  —  All  quiet  still  with  the  enemy.  A  packet  of 
letters  has  arrived,  and  brought  me  all  the  comfort  I  am 
capable  of  receiving  in  this  torturing  absence  ;  would  it 
were  over !  I  hear  the  Chief  has  crossed  the  Ganges 
and  is  coming  on  here.  I  believe  we  had  some  Kvdoe  for 
the  affair  of  the  25th,  though  beyond  being  exposed  to 
a  very  galling  fire,  I  did  not  think  much  of  it  myself. 
Gough's  wound  is  a  serious  misfortune  to  me  just  now  ; 
a  gallant,  go-a-head  boy  like  him  is  not  to  be  easily  re 
placed,  any  more  than  poor  Mac  is.  I  myself  am  laid 
up  with  a  sore  leg ;  I  would  not  nurse  it  at  first,  and  now 
it  is  so  painful  I  cannot  mount  my  horse  or  even  stand 


SORE   LEG.  421 

without  pain,  so  I  shall  go  into  the  next  scrimmage  on  an 
elephant !  Dr.  Brougham,  however,  says  it  will  be  well 
in  four  or  five  days.  I  did  not  know  Greville  was  going 
home  so  soon,  I  hoped  to  have  shaken  him  by  the  sain 
hand  once  more  before  we  parted  for  so  long. 

ALUMBAGH,  1st  March.  —  Nothing  of  public  impor 
tance  is  occurring.  I  am  still  unable  to  ride,  so  I  do 
regimental  work.  I  dined  with  Sir  J.  Outram  (he  is  the 
General  commanding  here)  and  with  Colonel  Haggart, 
7th  Hussars,  last  night ;  the  former  is  quite  affectionate 
in  his  manner  to  me.  He  would  quite  charm  you,  and 
were  I  not  out  of  love  with  vanity,  would  spoil  me  ;  but 
I  confess  the  respectful  homage  of  the  soldiers  is  pleas- 
anter  to  my  spirit  than  the  praise  of  great  men.  I  study 
to  be  quiet  and  do  my  own  business  without  elation  and 
pride,  satisfied  with  the  testimony  of  my  own  conscience 
that  I  strive  to  do  my  duty. 

March  ''Id.  —  The  Commander-in-Chief  arrived  with  a 
large  part  of  the  force  this  morning,  marched  straight 
through  our  camp,  and  at  the  enemy  (who  of  course  ran 
away),  and  occupied  the  Dilkoosha,  a  large  garden-house 
and  park  near  the  city.  My  unfortunate  leg  prevented 
my  sharing  in  the  fray,  I  grieve  to  "say,  and  I  am  actually 
in  a  fright  lest  he  (the  Chief)  should  take  Lucknow 
before  1  am  able  to  ride  ! 

ALUMBAGH,  March  6th.  —  I  had  time  for  but  the 
merest  line  yesterday,  written  from  Dilkoosha,  where 
the  Commander-in-Chief  is  encamped,  and  whither  we 
were  erroneously  brought  yesterday  to  return  here  to 
day.  I  had  a  long  talk  with  Sir  Colin,  who  was  even 
more  than  commonly  kind  and  cordial.  I  am  not  very 
well,  I  am  sorry  to  say ;  this  leg  troubles  me,  and  is  the 
effect  of  the  erysipelas  which  attacked  my  arm  in  conse- 


422  NEAR   LUCKNOW. 

quence  of  the  wounds  closing  too  quickly.  The  truth  is 
that  I  lost  about  a  pound  and  a  half  of  blood  when  I  was 
wounded,  and  having  had  two  slight  bouts  of  fever  since, 
I  am  not  so  strong  as  I  would  be  ;  however,  I  am  getting 
on,  and  am  dosed  with  steel,  quinine,  and  port  wine  ad  lib. 
My  arm  is  pretty  well,  but  the  wound  opened  again  par 
tially  after  the  25th,  and  I  have  been  obliged  to  submit  to 
bandages,  &c. ;  still  I  hope  three  or  four  days  will  set  me 
all  right  again,  though  I  fear  the  arm  will  never  be  quite 
straight  again,  or  the  thumb  quite  flexible.  I  shall  have 
to  go  home  for  rest  to  my  body,  if  not  for  comfort  to  my 
heart.  I  have  seen  Osborn  Wilkinson  ;  he  is  as  nice  as 
possible,  and  he  is  now  Deputy  Assistant  Quartermaster- 
General  to  the  Cavalry  Brigade,  to  which  my  Horse  is 
attached,  so  I  hope  to  see  more  of  him  than  of  late.  I 
breakfasted  yesterday  at  head-quarters  with  Napier,  and 
grieved  to  see  that  he  looked  worn  and  troubled.  I  fear 
his  health  is  very  precarious. 

CAMP,  NEAR  LUCKNOW,  March  Qth.  — .  ...  I  grieve 
that  you  should  be  anxious  on  my  account ;  the  same 
merciful  Providence  which  has  so  wonderfully  preserved 
us  both  through  so  many  and  great  dangers,  will,  I  ear 
nestly  pray,  continue  the  same  gracious  guardianship  ;  yet 
I  strive  to  be  prepared  for  all  .... 

I  had  to  march  again  this  morning  ;  a  message  from 
Sir  Colin  last  night  to  the  Brigadier  having  directed  him 
to  put  me  in  charge  of  the  line  of  communications  with 
Jellalabad,  the  Alumbagh,  and  his  camp.  So  I  had  to 
bring  my  men  up  here,  half-way  between  the  two  camps, 
and  to  make  arrangements  for  insuring  the  safety  of  the 
roads,  and  protecting  the  convoys  on  which  the  existence 
of  the  army  depends.  The  worst  part  of  it  is  I  cannot 
ride,  and  have  had,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  to  do  out- 
• 


REGINALD.  423 

post  duty  in  a  dog-cart !  driving  across  country  to  post 
videttes  and  picquettes,  &c.  What  with  this  continued 
movement  and  the  rest  which  I  am  compelled  to  take  re 
cumbent,  I  have  had  no  time  for  writing  as  I  fain  would 
do.  I  have  heard  from  Reginald  ;  he  is  so  earnest  in  his 
wish  to  do  duty  with  my  regiment,  that  I  have  asked  for 
him.  May  God  preserve  the  dear  boy  from  all  evil !  I 
shall  never  forgive  myself  if  harm  comes  to  him.  There 
is  no  decided  move  at  present ;  the  net  is  gradually  clos 
ing  round  the  enemy,  some  of  the  Goorkhas  and  Briga 
dier  Frank's  column  having  already  arrived.  You  must 
not  expect  more  tnan  a  Majority  for  me  yet,  though  I 
have  good  reason  to  believe  that  more  will  come. 

March  8th.  —  I  went  up  myself  to-day  to  the  head 
quarters'  camp,  to  look  for  letters  and  see  our  friend,  but 
failed  in  both ;  but  I  breakfasted  and  had  a  long  chat  with 
that  pleasantest  of  persons,  Lugard,  now  Sir  Edward,  and 
while  there  I  had  a  letter  from  Norman  to  say  that  Regi 
nald  had  been  appointed  to  do  duty  with  my  Horse.  I 
can  but  think  he  is  too  young ;  but  if  he  must  see  hard 
service  so  early,  better  with  me  than  elsewhere.  God 
grant  it  may  be  for  his  good.  I  am  looking  for  the  end 
with  an  eager  longing  for  rest  which  I  cannot  control. 
Dear  Sir  Henry  used  to  say  I  was  ambitious,  and  I  know 
I  was  proud  and  thirsty  of  success  ;  but  now  all  desires 
for  the  future  settle  down  into  the  one  thought  of  home. 

March  9th.  —  I  grieve  that  report  should  cause  you 
fear  and  anxiety  whenever  there  has  been  a  fight,  par 
ticularly  as  the  chances  are  against  my  being  in  it.  You 
should  remember  that  our  force  extends  now  round  three 
sides  nearly  of  Lucknow.  The  extreme  right  of  our  po 
sition,  or  rather  camps,  being  at  least  nine  miles  from  the 
left ;  so  that  engagements  occur  at  one  part  which  those 


424  CHOICE   OF   OFFICERS. 

at  the  other  never  perhaps  hear  of  till  next  day !  This 
was  the  case  with  the  Dilkoosha  affair.  The  Chief  passed 
our  camp  on  the  left,  moved  on  some  miles,  and  occupied 
"Dilkoosha"  (a  fine  palace,  three  stories  high),  and  the 
ground  up  to  the  banks  of  the  Goomtee,  almost  without 
opposition.  I  was  never  within  miles  of  him.  Indeed, 
I  have  not  been  on  horseback  since  the  25th,  as  I  am 
forced  to  save  myself  for  emergencies.  If  anything  im 
portant  occurs,  be  sure  I  will  send  a  telegram  somehow. 
I  have  written  to  Reginald,  and  sent  him  a  copy  of  the 
General  Order  appointing  him  to  do  duty  with  my  regi 
ment.  1  have  also  got  a  Lieutenant  Meecham,  of  the 
Madras  army,  —  a  great  artist  and  good-looking  fellow, 
and,  what  is  much  more  to  my  purpose,  a  fine  soldier  I 
believe.  I  have  also  asked  for  young  Blackburne,  whom 
you  may  remember  in  the  20th  Native  Infantry  at  Pe- 
shawur,  —  a  friend  of  Edward  Loyd's.  He  is  much 
"  come  out "  since  then.  I  do  hope  Plugh  Gough  will 
soon  be  well ;  I  do  ill  without  such  a  dashing  fine  fellow. 
In  the  affair  of  the  25th  we  were  leading,  and  took  the 
guns,  —  i.  e.,  we  fairly  captured  one,  and  drove  the  enemy 
away  from  the  other,  and  kept  them  at  bay  until  the 
"  train "  came  up  and  secured  it.  I  was  not  altogether 
satisfied  with  my  men  in  this  part  of  the  affair.  They 
hesitated,  and  let  me  go  ahead  unsupported  except  by 
Nihal  Singh  ;  old  Mahommed  Reza  Khan,  and  one  or 
two  others,  with  Gough,  being  near.  The  consequence 
was  that  the  enemy  concentrated  their  fire  on  our  little 
party.  However,  the  Europeans  of  the  Military  Train 
hesitated  to  do  what  I  wanted  my  men  to  do,  and  they 
behaved  very  well  immediately  afterwards.  There  has 
been  a  great  fuss  about  the  matter ;  Sir  Colin  having 
taken  great  and  very  just  offence  at  its  being  reported  to 


PROMOTION.  425 

him  that  the  cavalry  were  "  led  "  by  Colonel ,  a  staff- 
officer He  got  wounded,  and  then  was  officially 

reported  to  have  "led  the  cavalry,"  whereas  we  had 
Brigadier  Campbell  (a  capital  officer),  and  Colonel  Hag- 
gart,  of  the  7th  Hussars,  present,  besides  the  officers 
commanding  regiments,  "  quorum  pars  fui."  Sir  Colin 

denounced  Colonel 's  "  leading  "  as  "  an  insufferable 

impertinence,"  called  me  up,  and  asked  me  before  them 
all,  "  Were  you  present  with  your  regiment  on  the  25th  ?" 
and  on  my  saying,  "  Yes,"  he  cried  out,  "  Now,  look  here ; 
look  at  my  friend  Hodson  here,  does  he  look  like  a  man 
that  needs  '  leading  ? '  Is  that  a  man  likely  to  want 
i  leading  ? '  I  should  like  to  see  the  fellow  who'd  pre 
sume  to  talk  of  *  leading '  that  man  ! "  pointing  to  me,  and 
so  forth.  I  nearly  went  into  convulsions ;  it  was  such  a 
scene 

The  Martiniere  was  taken  to-day  without  loss  except 
poor  Captain  Peel,  who,  I  grieve  to  say,  is  wounded. 

March  10th. — The  mail  is  come  with  my  Majority. 
The  brevet  has  given  general  dissatisfaction.  Some  of 
the  double  honors  are  marvellous ;  but  it  should  be  re 
membered  that  these  promotions  are  given  sponte  sud  by 
the  home  authorities,  no  recommendations  having  gone 
from  hence  till  lately.  I  am  content  myself,  having  no 
interest.  It  proves  they  perceive  I  have  done  something, 
or  I  should  not  have  this  beginning  ;  and  it  is  satisfactory 
to  find  that  it  is  universally  considered  that  I  have  been 
shabbily  used.  Better  this  by  far  than  to  have  people 
lifting  up  their  eyes  and  saying  I  had  got  too  much ! 
Inglis  is  justly  rewarded,  and  some  others.  I  dare  say 
more  will  come  with  time.  I  hope  devoutly  that  when 
Lucknow  falls  I  shall  be  released.  We  shall  know  in  a 
few  days,  —  for  even  while  I  write  Lucknow  seems  to  be 


426  ATTACKS   ON  LUCKNOW. 

"  falling  "  fast.  Immense  progress  was  made  yesterday, 
with  not  more  loss  than  some  18  or  20  wounded,  and  I 
hear  to-day  they  are  going  ahead  again.  Pandy  has 
quite  given  up  fighting,  exeept  pot-shots  under  cover,  and 
runs  at  the  very  sight  of  troops  advancing.  I  stood  on 
the  top  of  the  Dilkoosha  palace  yesterday,  and  watched 
the  capture  of  as  strong  a  position  as  men  could  wish  for 
(which  at  Delhi  would  have  cost  us  hundreds)  without 
the  enemy  making  a  single  struggle  or  firing  a  shot.  At 
this  rate  Lucknow  will  soon  be  in  our  hands.  We  (of 
the  cavalry)  are  kept  on  the  qui  vive  watching  the  south 
ern  outlets  from  the  town  to  prevent  escape,  and  I  expect 
to  see  Lucknow  taken  without  being  under  fire  again. 
Well,  it  must  be  confessed  that  I  have  had  my  share  of 
the  dangers  of  the  war,  and  whether  I  receive  honors  or 
not,  I  have  the  testimony  of  rny  own  conscience  that  I 
have  done  one  man's  work  towards  the  restoration  of  our 
power  in  India.  ...  I  have  been  occupied  to-day 
in  trying  to  get  the  Victoria  Cross  for  the  two  Goughs. 
Hugh  certainly  ought  to  have  it.* 

March  llth.  —  Just  as  I  sit  down  to  write  comes  an 
order  to  move  our  camp  towards  Alumbagh  again  ;  Jung 
Bahadoor  having  at  last  arrived  with  his  army  and  taken 
up  ground  between  rne  and  the  enemy.  .  .  .  If  any 
thing  occurs,  I  will  get  Colonel  Napier  or  Norman  to 
send  you  a  service  telegram.  .  .  . 

This  was  the  last  letter  which  my  brother  wrote. 
Having  given  directions  to  his  Adjutant,  Lieuten 
ant  Gough,  he  said  he  would  ride  on  and  look  out 
a  nice  spot  for  their  new  camping-ground,  and  be 
back  in  time  to  march  with  them.  On  his  way 

*  It  has  been  given.  —  Ed. 
* 


ASSAULT   ON   BEGUM'S   PALACE.  427 

he  heard  firing,  and  riding  forward,  found  that  the 
'Begum's  Palace  was  to  be  attacked.  He  imme 
diately  rode  to  the  place,  and  finding  his  friend 
Brigadier  Napier  directing  the  attack,  said  laugh 
ingly,  "  I  am  come  to  take  care  of  you  ;  you  have 
no  business  to  go  to  work  without  me  to  look 
after  you."  The  assault  was  successful.*  He 
entered  the  breach  with  General  Napier  and  sev 
eral  others.  In  a  few  minutes  they  were  sepa 
rated  in  the  melee,  and  General  Napier  saw  noth 
ing  more  of  him  till  he  was  sent  for  to  him 
"  dangerously  wounded."  The  surgeon  of  his 
regiment  gives  the  following  account :  — 

"  We  struck  our  tents  and  were  saddled,  waiting  for 
him  till  it  became  so  dark  that  we  were  forced  to  go  with 
out  him,  and  reached  our  ground  after  sunset.  I  had 
gone  to  the  post-office  and  was  five  minutes  behind  the 
regiment.  When  I  came  up,  I  found  that  Hodson's  or 
derly  had  come  in  great  haste,  saying  that  his  master  had 
sent  for  me,  but  with  no  other  message.  He  said  that 
his  master  had  been  hit  when  advancing  with  the  troops 
on  the  Begum's  Kotee  on  foot. 

"  I  mounted  and  rode  off  with  him  at  once.  From  the 
darkness  of  the  night  and  the  difficulty  of  passing  the 
Goorkah  sentries,  I  did  not  get  to  Dilkooshah  till  9  p.  M. 

*  At  the  Begum's  Palace  the  defences  were  found,  after  the  capture 
of  the  place,  so  much  stronger  than  could  be  observed  or  had  been  be 
lieved,  that  the  General  said,  that,  had  he  known  what  lay  before  the 
assaulting  column,  he  should  have  hesitated  to  give  the  order  for  ad 
vance.  They  went  at  it,  however,  with  a  rush,  —  the  93d  Highlanders 
and  4th  Punjaub  Eifles,  old  comrades  at  the  Secundrabagh,  —  and 
carried  it. 


428  MAJOR   HODSON   SHOT. 

There  no  one  knew  where  he  was.  I  then  went  on  to 
the  artillery  mess  and  learnt  that  he  was  in  Banks's" 
House  which  I  reached  about  10  P.  M.  I  found  him  in  a 
dooly  and  Dr.  Sutherland  with  him,  whom  I  at  once  re 
lieved,  and  learnt  the  following  particulars  from  him  and 
from  the  orderly  who  remained  with  Hodson,  and  who 
had  been  by  his  side  when  hit.  He  had  arrived  at 
Banks's  House  just  as  the  party  going  to  attack  the 
Begum's  Palace  were  starting,  and  fell  in  with  them. 
The  place  had  been  taken  before  he  was  wounded. 
When  the  soldiers  were  searching  for  concealed  Sepoys 
in  the  court-yard  and  buildings  adjoining,  he  said  to  his 
orderly,  1 1  wonder  if  any  of  the  rascals  are  in  there.' 
He  turned  the  angle  of  the  passage  ;  looked  into  a  dark 
room,  which  was  full  of  Sepoys  ;  a  shot  was  fired  from 
inside.  He  staggered  back  some  paces  and  then  fell.  A 
party  of  Highlanders,  hearing  who  had  been  hit,  rushed 
into  the  room  and  bayoneted  every  man  there. 

"  The  orderly,  a  large  powerful  Sikh,  carried  him  in 
his  arms  out  of  danger,  and  got  a  dooly  and  brought  him 
back  to  Banks's  House,  where  his  wound  was  looked  to 
and  dressed. 

"  He  was  shot  through  the  right  side  of  the  chest,  in 
the  region  of  the  liver,  the  ball  entering  in  front  and 
going  out  behind.  There  had  been  profuse  bleeding,  and 
I  saw  that  the  wound  was  most  likely  mortal. 

"  He  was  very  glad  to  see  me,  and  began  talking  of 
his  wound,  which  he  thought  himself  was  mortal.  I  lay 
beside  him  on  the  ground  all  night,  holding  his  hand,  on 
account  of  the  great  pain  he  suffered.  He  was  very 
weak  when  T  arrived,  but  by  means  of  stimulants  rallied 
wonderfully,  and  slept  for  an  hour  or  two  during  the 
night.  At  daylight  he  was  much  better,  his  hands  were 


LAST  HOURS.  429 

warm  and  his  pulse  good,  and  I  had  hopes  that,  if  the 
bleeding,  which  had  ceased,  did  not  return,  he  might  re 
cover.  He  drank  two  cups  of  tea,  and  said  he  felt  very 
well.  His  account  of  his  being  wounded  agreed  with  the 
orderly's. 

"  About  9  A.  M.  I  had  the  dooly  lifted  into  a  room, 
which  I  had  had  cleared  out,  where  he  was  much  quieter. 
At  10  A.  M.,  however,  bleeding  came  on  again  profusely, 
and  he  rapidly  became  worse.  I  told  him  that  recovery 
was  impossible.  He  then  sent  for  General  Napier,  to 
whom  he  gave  directions  about  his  property  and  mes 
sages  to  his  wife.  After  this  he  rapidly  sank,  though 
he  remained  sensible  and  was  able  to  speak  till  a  quarter 
past  one,  when  he  became  too  weak ;  and  at  twenty-five 
minutes  past  one  died. 

"  His  orderly  *  actually  cried  over  him,  he  was  so  at 
tached  to  him. 

"  He  was  buried  that  evening  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Smith. 
The  Commander-5n-Chief  and  his  staff  were  present." 

General  Napier  says,  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Hod- 
son  :  — 

"  I  regret  bitterly  now,  that  I  did  not  insist  on  your 
dear  husband  going  back,  but  you  know  how  impossible 
it  was  to  check  his  dauntless  spirit." 

He  and  others  who  were  present  give  the  fol 
lowing  particulars :  — 

"  He  lay  on  his  bed  of  mortal  agony  and  met 

*  This  orderly,  Nihal  Singh,  afterwards  travelled  to  Simla  at  his 
own  expense  to  see  Mrs.  Hodson,  and  beg  to  be  taken  into  her  service 
and  go  to  England  with  her.  The  men  of  his  regiment  cried  like 
children  when  they  heard  the  news  of  his  death. 


430  CLOSING  SCENE. 

death  with  the  same  calm  composure  which  so  much  dis 
tinguished  him  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  was  quite  con 
scious  and  peaceful,  occasionally  uttering  a  sentence  :  — 

"  4  My  poor  wife,'  *  My  poor  sisters.' 

"  '  I  should  have  liked  to  see  the  end  of  the  campaign 
and  gone  home  to  the  dear  ones  once  more,  but  it  was  so 
ordered.' 

"  '  It  is  hard  to  leave  the  world  just  now,  when  success 
is  so  near,  but  God's  will  be  done.' 

"•  '  Bear  witness  for  me  that  I  have  tried  to  do  my  duty 
to  man.  May  God  forgive  my  sins  for  Christ's  sake.'  '  I 
go  to  my  Father.' 

"  '  My  love  to  my  wife ;  tell  her  my  last  thoughts  were 
of  her.'  '  Lord,  receive  my  soul.' 

"  These  were  his  last  words,  and,  without  a  sigh  or 
struggle,  his  pure  and  noble  spirit  took  its  flight." 

Thus,  on  the  12th  of  March,  1858,  in  his  thirty- 
seventh  year,  closed  the  earthly  career  of  one  of 
the  best  and  bravest  of  England's  sons,  one  of 
her  truest  heroes,  of  whom  it  may  be  said, — 
"  Quanquarn  medio  in  spatio  integra?  setatis  erep- 
tus,  quantum  ad  gloriam  longissimum  Eevum 
peregit." 

Great  and  irreparable  as  was  his  loss  to  his 
family  and  his  friends,  as  a  husband,  a  brother, 
and  a  friend,  I  believe  that,  at  the  particular 
juncture  at  which  he  was  taken  away,  it  was 
still  greater,  as  a  soldier,  to  his  country.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  overestimate  the  value  of 
the  services  which  he  might  have  rendered,  if 
spared,  in  the  pacifying  of  Oude  after  the  cap- 


TESTIMONY  OF   SIR   COLIN   CAMPBELL.  431 

ture  of  Lucknow,  or  the  influence  which  he 
might  have  had  on  the  fortunes  of  the  war.  One 
of  those  best  qualified  to  judge  declared,  that 
"  Hodson  with  his  regiment  would  have  been 
worth  10,000  men."  His  peculiar  qualifications 
for  Asiatic  warfare  would  have  found  an  appro 
priate  field  for  their  display. 

It  is  unnecessary,  however,  for  me  to  attempt 
to  pronounce  his  eulogium.  This  has  been  done 
by  those  more  capable  of  forming  an  estimate  of 
his  rare  excellence  as  a  soldier,  and  of  doing  it 
justice  by  their  words. 

Sir  Colin  Campbell,  in  a  letter  of  condolence 
to  his  widow,  thus  expressed  himself:  — 

"  MARTINIERE,  March  13,  1858. 

"  MADAM,  —  It  is  with  a  sentiment  of  profound  regret 
that  I  am  compelled  to  address  you  for  the  purpose  of 
communicating  the  sad  news  that  your  gallant  and  dis 
tinguished  husband,  Major  Hodson,  received  a  mortal 
wound  from  a  bullet  on  the  llth  instant.  He  unfor 
tunately  accompanied  his  friend  Brigadier  Napier,  com 
manding  Engineers  in  the  successful  attack  on  the  Be 
gum's  Palace.  The  whole  army,  which  admired  his 
talents,  his  bravery,  and  his  military  skill,  deplores  his 
loss,  and  sympathizes  with  you  in  your  irreparable  be 
reavement.  I  attended  your  husband's  funeral  yester 
day  evening,  in  order  to  show  what  respect  I  could  to  the 
memory  of  one  of  the  most  brilliant  officers  under  my 
command. 

(Signed)  "  C.  CAMPBELL,, 

"  Com.-in-  Chief  in  East  Indies." 


432  EXTRACTS   FROM   LETTERS. 

An  officer  who  was  present  at  the  funeral 
says : — 

"  When  the  part  of  the  service  came  where  the  body 
is  lowered  into  the  grave,  all  the  old  warrior's  courage 
and  self-possession  could  no  longer  control  the  tears,  — 
undeniable  evidence  of  what  he  felt.  1 1  have  lost  one  of 
the  finest  officers  in  the  army/  was  his  remark  to  General 
Napier." 

Even  Sir  John  Lawrence,  no  friendly  judge, 
pronounced  him  in  an  official  paper  to  be  — 

"  One  of  the  ablest,  most  active,  and  bravest  soldiers 
who  have  fallen  in  the  present  war." 

Sir  R.  Montgomery  says  :  — 

"  I  look  round  and  can  find  no  one  like  him.  Many 
men  are  as  brave,  many  possess  as  much  talent,  many  are 
as  cool  and  accurate  in  judgment,  but  not  one  combines 
all  these  qualifications  as  he  did." 

I  shall  best  give  an  idea  of  the  universal  feeling 
of  regret  awakened  at  the  tidings  of  his  death  by 
subjoining  a  few  extracts  from  the  public  press 
at  home  and  abroad,  and  from  private  letters. 
The  Bombay  correspondent  of  the  Times,  after 
detailing  the  assault  on  the  Begum's  Palace, 
wrote  thus:  — 

"At  this  point  fell,  mortally  wounded,  Hodson  of  the 
1st  Bengal  Fusileers;  Hodson  of  Hodson's  Horse  ;  Hod- 
son,  the  captor  of  the  King  of  Delhi  and  the  princes  of  his 
house.  Few  of  the  many  losses  that  have  occurred  dur 
ing  the  operations  consequent  upon  the  mutinies,  have 


EXTRACTS  FROM  NEWSPAPERS.        433 

caused  such  universal  regret  throughout  India  as  the 
deatli  of  this  excellent  officer  ;  and  among  those  in  Eng 
land  who  have  read  of  and  admired  his  exploits,  not  only 
his  comrades  of  the  Sikh  battle-fields,  but  many  an  old 
friend  at  Rugby  or  at  Trinity  will  mourn  that  his  career 
has  been  thus  early  closed." 

The  Times,  in  a  leading  article,  thus  announced 
his  death  :  — 

"  The  country  will  receive  with  lively  regret  the  news 
that  the  gallant  Major  Hodson,  who  has  given  his  name 
to  an  invincible  and  almost  ubiquitous  body  of  cavalry, 
was  killed  in  the  attack  on  Lucknow.  Major  Hodson 
has  been  from  the  very  beginning  of  this  war  fighting 
everywhere  and  against  any  odds  with  all  the  spirit  of  a 
Paladin  of  old.  His  most  remarkable  exploit,  the  cap 
ture  of  the  King  of  Delhi  and  his  two  sons,  astonished 
the  world  by  its  courage  and  coolness.  Hodson  was, 
indeed,  a  man  who,  from  his  romantic  daring  and  his 
knowledge  of  the  Asiatic  character,  was  able  to  beat  the 
natives  at  their  own  weapons.  We  could  better  have 
spared  an  older  and  more  highly  placed  officer." 

The  following  notice  appeared  in  a  Bombay 
paper :  — 

"  From  a  Lucknow  letter  which  we  publish  to-day  our 
readers  will  learn,  with  sorrow  and  regret,  that  that  mosi: 
able  and  gallant  officer,  Captain  Hodson,  who  has  distin 
guished  himself  on  so  many  occasions  since  the  breaking 
out  of  the  rebellion,  and  whose  services  have  been  of  so 
brilliant  and  valuable  a  character,  has  been  killed  at 
Lucknow.  As  a  leader  of  Irregular  Horse,  or  indeed  as 
a  soldier  of  any  of  the  non-scientific  forces,  Captain  Hod- 

19 


434        EXTRACTS  FROM  NEWSPAPERS. 

son  was  almost  without  an  equal.  He  was  one  of  those 
squadron  leaders  which  the  Indian  army  can  alone  rear 
up.  There  are  few  men  who  would  have  managed  the 
capture  of  the  ex-King  of  Delhi  as  this  departed  hero 
did.  On  that  occasion  his  force  was  small  compared  to 
that  he  had  to  cope  with  ;  but  the  determined  daring  of 
the  man  made  up  for  the  disparity,  and  the  old  King 
came  out  of  his  fortification  —  for  a  strong  fortification  it 
was  —  and  surrendered.  So  also  with  the  capture  of  the 
King's  sons,  who  also  surrendered  themselves,  but  whom 
Hodson  found  rescued  when  he  reached  them,  after 
having  completed  the  disarming  of  their  band.  That 
was  a  moment  to  test  a  man.  But  he  of  whom  we  write 
was  equal  to  the  emergency.  The  carts  in  which  the 
princes  were,  were  retaken  immediately.  Still  the  aspect 
of  the  armed  Mahornedan  crowd  around — growing  every 
moment  more  numerous  —  was  dark  and  threatening.  It 
was  a  situation  which  required  prompt  decision,  and 
promptly  did  the  British  leader  decide.  He  saw  that  it 
was  necessary  that  his  prisoners  should  die,  and  resolved 
himself  to  become  their  executioner :  a  wise  resolve,  for, 
probably,  had  he  asked  one  of  his  own  Mahomedan 
troopers  to  kill  the  sons  of  the  Mogul,  a  refusal  would 
have  followed,  and  that  refusal  might  have  been  acted  up 
to  by  all.  He  adopted  the  wiser  course,  harangued  his 
men,  ordered  the  prisoners  to  take  off  their  robes  in  the 
cart,  and  shot  them  with  his  own  hand.  Had  the  prison 
ers  been  allowed  to  leave  the  cart,  their  bodies  would 
have  been  left  behind ;  for  to  touch  them  would,  by  the 
troopers,  have  been  considered  defilement,  and,  left  be 
hind,  they  might  have  been  fanatically  paraded  through 
the  country  as  an  incitement  to  a  fresh  rising.  Besides, 
it  was  necessary  that  their  remains  should  be  exposed  at 


NOTICES  OF  DEATH.  435 

the  Kotwallie  in  Delhi  with  something  of  the  indignity 
they  themselves  had  caused  to  be  inflicted  on  the  mur 
dered  victims  of  the  llth  of  May." 

Another    published    a    letter   with    this    sen 
tence  :  — 

"  Hodson,  splendid  fellow,  died  the  following  day,  most 
deeply  regretted  by  all  ranks  in  his  regiment.  He  indeed 
was  a  brave  soldier,  a  clever  and  truly  esteemed  com 
mander.  May  we  not  say  he  was  one  of  the  flowers  of 
the  '  old  Europeans/  and  an  ornament  to  the  Bengal 
army  ?  " 

The  writer  (in  BlackwoocPs  Magazine)  of  a 
series  of  papers  on  the  1st  Fusileers,  says:  — 

"  Then  fell  one  of  the  bravest  in  the  Indian  army,  an 
officer  whose  name  has  been  brought  too  often  before  the 
public  by  those  in  high  command  to  need  my  humble 
word  in  praise.  There  was  not  a  man  before  Delhi  who 
did  not  know  Hodson  ;  always  active,  always  cheery,  it 
did  one's  heart  good  to  look  at  his  face,  when  all  felt  how 
critical  was  our  position.  Ask  any  soldier  who  was  the 
bravest  man  before  Delhi,  who  most  in  the  saddle,  who 
foremost  ?  and  nine  out  of  ten  in  the  Infantry  will  tell 
you  Hodson,  in  the  Artillery  as  many  will  name  Tombs. 

"  I  once  heard  one  of  the  Fusileers  say,  '  Whenever 
I  sees  Captain  Hodson  go  out,  I  always  prays  for  him, 
for  he  is  sure  to  be  in  danger.'  Yet  it  was  not  only  in 
the  field  that  Hodson  was  to  be  valued,  his  head  was  as 
active  as  his  hand  was  strong,  and  I  feel  sure,  when  we 
who  knew  him  heard  of  his  death,  not  one  but  felt  that 
there  was  a  vacancy  indeed  in  our  ranks." 


436  NOTICES   OF    DEATH. 

The  Times  correspondent,  (Mr.  Russell,)  in  his 
letter  of  March  13th,  writes  :  — 

"  When  I  returned  to  head-quarters'  camp  this  evening, 
I  found  that  poor  Hodson  had  died  the  previous  day,  and 
been  buried  the  same  evening. 

"  He  was  a  zealous  and  accomplished  officer,  of  great 
bravery,  ability,  and  determination,  an  excellent  judge  of 
the  native  character,  of  a  humane  and  clement  disposi 
tion,  but  firm  in  the  infliction  of  deserved  punishment. 

"  The  last  time  I  saw  him  alive  he  expressed  a  decided 
opinion  that  Government  must  resort  to  an  amnesty,  or 
be  prepared  for  a  long  continuance  of  disturbances." 

From  the  Delhi  Gazette  :  — 

"  He  was  a  perfect  gentleman,  an  accomplished  scholar, 
and  we  need  scarcely  add,  (what  our  columns  have  so 
often  recorded,)  one  of  the  most  brilliant  soldiers  in  this 
or  any  other  army.  His  death  is  not  only  a  severe  family 
affliction,  but  a  national  calamity,  and  it  will  be  long  be 
fore  the  name  of  the  capturer  of  the  King  and  princes  of 
Delhi  will  cease  to  be  mentioned  with  honor,  and  remem 
bered  with  regret." 

From  private  letters  of  condolence,  which  would 
fill  a  volume,  I  select  a  few  passages,  in  which 
the  writers  seem  to  have  seized  with  great  felicity 
upon  some  of  the  more  remarkable  features  in  my 
brother's  character  and  actions. 

"It  is  hard  to  lose  one  upon  whom  all  eyes  were  fixed, 
and  whose  noble  qualities  seemed  so  certain  of  recogni 
tion,  and  of  speedy  advancement  to  such  employments  as 
his  fine  natural  abilities  well  fitted  him  to  discharge. 


PRIVATE   LETTERS.  437 

"  The  very  presence  of  such  a  man  in  India  was  an 
element  of  power  apart  from  all  official  rank,  and  he 
could  ill  be  spared  from  among  the  very  few  who  have 
learnt  to  impersonate  in  themselves  the  power  of  the 
English  nation,  and  to  let  the  natives  of  India  feel  the 
irresistible  character  of  that  power.  You  must  have 
watched  him  so  anxiously  and  so  proudly  that,  though 
thousands  of  us  have  done  the  same,  none  can  approach 
the  measure  of  your  sorrow  or  mourn  as  you  that  he  can 
confer  no  more  honor  on  your  name,  but  that  the  oppor 
tunities  of  the  future  must  be  reaped  by  other  and  less 
capable  hands. 

"  I  cannot  feel  easy  without  expressing  to  you  the 
great  grief  and  consternation  with  which  I  read  the  ac 
count  of  your  brother's  death.  Certainly  it  would  have 
been  little  less  than  miraculous  if,  being  what  he  was,  he 
had  lived  out  this  war.  And  yet  I,  for  one,  had  always 
cherished  a  hope  that  I  might  have  seen  once  more  with 
my  own  eyes  so  noble  and  gallant  a  soldier. 

"  There  is,  after  all,  something  about  skilful  courage 
which  draws  the  heart  to  itself  more  than  eloquence,  or 
learning,  or  anything  else,  and  your  brother  seems  to  have 
been  endued  with  this  almost  more  than  any  living  Eng 
lishman,  brave  as  our  countrymen  are." 


"  Closely  have  I  watched,  during  these  last  few  sad 
months,  the  career  of  that  brave  brother  of  yours.  I 
could  estimate  his  bold  and  self-sacrificing  courage,  and 
knowing  as  I  did  the  sort  of  people  over  whom  he  had 
acquired  such  perfect  sway,  I  knew  how  much  a  clear 
and  commanding  intellect  must  have  been  called  into  ex 
ercise,  to  aid  a  strong  and  devoted  heart.  What  victims 

19* 


438  PRIVATE  LETTERS. 

has  Lucknow  offered  up  to  the  fiendish  treachery  of  those 
ungrateful  men  —  Lawrence  !  Havelock  !  and  Hodson !  " 


"  My  grief  is  not  for  him  ;  he  had  done  his  work  in 
that  station  of  life  in  which  God  had  placed  him,  nobly, 
heartily,  and  as  in  the  sight  of  God  (would  that  we  all 
did  our  work  in  half  such  a  Christian  spirit)  ;  but  for 
you  all,  who  were  looking  forward  to  seeing  him  again, 
crowned  with  the  honors  he  had  so  hardly  won.  Well,  it 
has  pleased  God  that  this  was  not  to  be ;  but  there  is  a 
good  hope,  more  than  a  hope,  that  a  reward  of  a  higher 
kind  is  his." 

From  one  who  had  known  him  in  India:  — 

"  From  the  love  ,and  esteem  I  bore  your  brother,  you 
will,  I  feel  sure,  allow  me  to  write  and  express,  however 
imperfectly  words  can  do  it,  my  deep  and  heartfelt  sym 
pathy  with  you  and  your  sisters  under  this  heavy  blow. 
Our  acquaintance  was  not  of  long  standing,  but  had  rap 
idly  ripened  into  intimacy,  and  I  look  back  to  the  days 
spent  in  his  society  as  amongst  my  happiest  in  India.  His 
very  presence  was  sunshine. 

"  Of  my  admiration  for  his  talents,  and  the  service  he 
rendered  his  country,  it  would  be  impertinent  to  speak,  — 
they  are  of  public  note  ;  but  of  the  tender  sympathies, 
the  ready  advice,  the  forgetfulness  of  self,  and  the  ever- 
mindfulness  of  others,  I  may  testify.  His  was,  indeed, 
a  rare  and  beautiful  character,  and  the  better  he  was 
known  the  more  he  could  not  fail  to  be  appreciated." 

I  will  add  one  more  letter  from  General  John- 
stone,  which  will  show  that  even  to  the  last  my 


EXPRESSIONS    OF   REGRET.  439 

brother  was  pursued  by  the  same  jealousy  and 
malignity  which  had  caused  him  so  much  suffer 
ing  in  former  years  :  — 

"  He  was  too  noble  to  pass  through  the  world  without 
detractors.  The  ambitious  and  brave  envied  him,  be 
cause  the  brilliancy  of  his  acts  put  theirs  in  the  shade ; 
I  mean,  those  not  possessed  of  the  disinterestedness  of 
Christians. 

"The  mean  and  despicable  hated  him,  because  they 
quailed  before  the  eagle  eye  that  could  endure  neither 
dishonesty  nor  cowardice.  Their  base  slanders  were  in 
whispers  during  his  life ;  now  that  his  gallant  spirit  is 
gone,  they  come  forward  in  unblushing  malignity.  I 
heard  the  whispers  only  ;  my  indignation  at  learning  the 
baseness  with  which  this  true  hero  has  been  treated  is 
beyond  all  my  powers  of  expression." 

Some  of  my  readers  may  be  interested  in  a 
description  of  Major  Hodson's  personal  appear 
ance  and  manner,  given  in  a  letter  describing  a 
visit  which  he  paid  the  writer  a  few  years  previ 
ously  at  Calcutta :  — 

"  He  was  remarkably  well  made,  lithe,  and  agile ;  in 
height  about  five  feet  eleven  inches.  His  hair  had  slightly 
receded  from  a  high  and  most  intellectual  forehead,  and 
was  light  and  curly.  His  eyes  were  blue,  but  animated  by 
a  peculiarly  determined,  and  sometimes  even  fierce  look, 
which  would  change  to  one  of  mischievous  merriment, 
for  he  was  keenly  susceptible  of  the  ridiculous,  in  whatever 
shape  it  presented  itself;  but  usually  his  look  impressed 
me  at  once  with  that  idea  of  his  determination  and 
firmness  which  have  ever  characterized  his  actions.  His 


440  PERSONAL   DESCRIPTION. 

nose  was  inclining  to  the  aquiline,  and  the  curved,  thin 
nostrils  added  a  look  of  defiance  in  noways  counteracted 
by  the  compressed  lips,  which  seemed  to  denote  many  an 
inward  struggle  between  duty  and  inclination.  These 
are  my  impressions  of  Hodson  as  I  last  saw  him  ;  and  if 
you  add  to  this  an  open,  frank  manner,  that,  bonyre  mal- 
gre,  impressed  you  favorably  at  first  sight  with  the  owner, 
you  will  have  the  charming  ensemble  that  presides  over 
my  recollections  of  three  as  happy  weeks  as  I  ever 
passed." 

As  a  pendant  to  this  portrait  I  give  another 
from  a  lady's  pen,  drawn  more  recently :  — 

"  There  was  an  indescribable  charm  of  manner  about 
him,  combining  all  the  gentle  playfulness  of  the  boy,  the 
deep  tenderness  of  the  woman,  and  the  vigorous  decision 
of  the  soldier. 

"  His  powers  of  attraction  extended  even  to  animals ; 
and  it  was  touching  to  see  his  large  white  Persian  cat 
following  him  from  room  to  room,  escaping  from  the  ca 
resses  of  others  to  nestle  by  him.  I  have  often  watched 
the  pretty  creature  as  he  threw  himself,  exhausted  with 
the  day's  work,  on  an  easy  chair  or  sofa,  rubbing  himself 
against  his  master,  whisking  the  long  white  tail  against 
his  fair  moustache,  and  courting  the  endearments  liber 
ally  bestowed.  Restless  with  others,  pussy  was  at  rest  if 
established  by  him. 

"  At  Delhi  there  was  a  wild,  shy  little  kitten,  which 
fled  from  every  one  else,  but  mewed  provokingly  when 
ever  he  appeared,  —  would  jump  on  his  knee  with  all  the 
familiarity  of  an  old  friend. 

"  With  his  horses  he  had  the  same  power  of  domes 
tication.  They  yielded  to  the  sound  of  his  voice  with  the 


MAGIC   INFLUENCE.  441 

instinct  that  seemed  to  convey  to  all  that  in  him  they  had 
found  master  and  friend. 

"  Over  the  natives  that  influence  seemed  almost  magic. 
When  at  Umbala,  on  ten  days'  leave,  in  November  last, 
the  wounded  and  convalescent  Guides  (his  old  corps) 
were  all  day  straying  into  the  compound  simply  to  '  sa 
laam  '  the  '  Sahib.'  And  if,  when  lingering  on  the  steps, 
or  in  front  of  the  study  door,  they  were  questioned  what 
they  wanted,  their  answer  would  be,  '  Nothing ;  they 
liked  to  look  at  the  Sahib.'  And  so  they  hung  about  his 
steps,  and  watched  like  so  many  faithful  dogs.  Espe 
cially  there  was  an  Affghan  boy,  (he  had  once  been  a 
slave,)  whose  very  soul  seemed  bound  up  in  the  master 
who  had  rescued  him  from  his  degraded  position,  and  for 
whom  every  service  seemed  light.  He  would  watch  his 
master's  movements  with  a  look  of  very  worship,  as  if  the 
ground  were  not  good  enough  for  him  to  tread. 

"  His  joyousness  of  nature  made  him  the  most  charm 
ing  companion.  There  was  a  certain  quaintness  of  ex 
pression  which  gave  zest  to  all  he  said ;  and  yet  there 
was  a  reverence,  too,  so  that,  were  subjects  graver  than 
usual  introduced  even  by  allusion,  they  at  once  com 
manded  his  earnest  response." 

It  will  doubtless  excite  surprise,  perchance  in 
dignation,  that  one  whom  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  pronounced  "  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
soldiers  under  his  command,"  —  one  whom  all 
ranks  of  the  army  in  India  reckoned  amongst 
their  bravest  and  most  skilful  leaders,  —  one 
whom  the  popular  voice  has  already  enrolled 
amongst  the  heroes  of  the  nation,  • —  one  whose 
name  was  "  known,  either  in  love  or  fear,  by 


442  PROPOSED   MONUMENT. 

every  native  from  Calcutta  to  Cabul,"  -  —  should 
have  received,  with  the  exception  of  a  brevet 
majority  (to  which  he  was  entitled  for  services  in 
1849),  no  mark  of  his  Sovereign's  approbation, 
no  recognition  of  gallant  services  and  deeds  of 
daring,  one  tenth  part  of  which  would  have  cov 
ered  many  of  Fortune's  favorites  with  decora 
tions. 

That  recognition,  however,  which  was  officially 
withheld,  has  been  given  in  a  more  marked  form 
by  the  spontaneous  expression  of  the  feelings  of 
his  brothers-in-arms.  A  committee,  composed  of 
officers  of  the  highest  eminence,  has  been  formed 
at  Calcutta  for  the  sake  of  recording,  by  some 
permanent  memorial,  their  admiration  of  his  gal 
lantry  and  skill,  and  it  has  been  determined  that 
it  should  take  the  form  of  a  monument  in  Lich- 
field  Cathedral. 

Nor  will  his  name  be  forgotten  in  India,  even 
by  men  in  office.  The  regiment  which  he  raised 
still  is  "  Hodson's  Horse  ;  "  and  by  an  order,  pub 
lished  in  the  Gazette  of  August  13th,  is  consti 
tuted  a  brigade,  consisting  of  the  1st,  2d,  and  3d 
Regiments  of  "  Hodson's  Horse." 

I  do  not  know  that  his  warmest  friends  could 
desire  any  more  distinguished  testimony  to  his 
services. 


Since  these  remarks  were  written,  my  brother's 
services    have    received    a    still    more    public   ac- 


SPEECH   OF   LORI)    STANLEY.  443 

knowledgment.  On  the  occasion  of  the  vote  of 
thanks  to  the  Indian  Army,  on  14th  April,  1859, 
both  Lord  Derby  in  the  Upper,  and  Lord  Stanley 
in  the  Lower  House,  mentioned  his  name  in  the 
most  honorable  manner. 

Lord  Stanley  spoke  as  follows :  — 

"And  now,  Sir,  having  paid  the  tribute  that  is  due  to 
those  who  live,  it  is  not  fitting  that  we  should  pass  away 
entirely  from  this  subject  without  recognizing  the  services 
of  the  dead.  (Hear,  hear.)  Operations  like  those  which 
have  been  carried  on  for  the  last  eighteen  months,  could 
not  be  conducted  without  a  great  and  lamentable  loss  of 
life,  and  their  loss  to  the  public  service  is  not  one  which 
can  be  measured  by  any  numerical  test,  because  it  is 
always  the  best  and  bravest  officers  who  rush  to  the  front, 
—  who  volunteer  for  every  service  of  danger  or  difficulty, 
who  expose  themselves  to  every  risk,  and  among  whom, 
therefore,  there  is  necessarily  the  greatest  loss  of  life. 
There  are  two  names  which  are  especially  distinguished. 
The  first  is  that  of  Major  Hodson,  of  the  Guides,  (hear, 
hear,)  who  in  his  short  but  brilliant  military  career  dis 
played  every  quality  which  an  officer  should  possess. 
(Hear.)  Nothing  is  more  remarkable,  in  glancing  over 
the  biography  of  Major  Hodson  that  has  just  appeared, 
than  the  variety  of  services  in  which  he  was  engaged. 
At  one  time  he  displayed  his  great  personal  courage  and 
skill  as  a  swordsman  in  conflict  with  Sikh  fanatics  ;  was 
then  transferred  to  the  civil  service,  in  which  lie  performed 
his  duties  as  though  he  had  passed  his  whole  life  at  the 
desk,  afterwards  recruiting  and  commanding  the  corps  of 
Guides,  and,  lastly,  taking  part  in  the  operations  before 
Delhi,  volunteering  for  every  enterprise  in  which  life 


444  SPEECH    OF   LORD    STANLEY. 

could  be  hazarded  or  glory  could  be  won.  He  crowded 
into  the  brief  space  of  eleven  eventful  years  the  services 
and  adventures  of  a  long  life.  He  died  when  his  reward 
was  assured,  obtaining  only  that  reward  which  he  most 
coveted,  —  the  consciousness  of  duty  done,  and  the  assur 
ance  of  enduring  military  renown.  The  other  name  to 
which  I  shall  refer  is  a  name  which  will  always  be  re 
ceived  with  feelings  of  special  and  individual  interest  by 
this  House.  No  words  of  mine  can  add  to  the  glory 
attaching  to  the  short  but  noble  career  of  Sir  W.  Peel. 
(Cheers.)  He  bore  a  name  which  is  inseparably  con 
nected  with  the  Parliamentary  history  of  this  country, 
and  it  was  with  feelings  of  almost  personal  pride  and 
of  personal  grief  that  a  great  number  of  the  members  of 
this  House  received  the  accounts  of  his  glorious  achieve 
ments  and  of  his  untimely  end.  (Hear,  hear.)  For  his 
own  reputation  he  had  lived  long  enough  ;  no  future  acts 
could  have  enhanced  his  fame.  It  is  England,  it  is  his 
country  that  deplores  his  loss." 

I  have  also  much  pleasure  in  stating  that  "  in 
testimony  of  the  high  sense  entertained  of  the 
gallant  and  distinguished  services  of  the  late 
Brevet- Major  W.  S.  R.  Hod  son,"  the  Secretary 
of  State  for  India  in  Council  has  granted  a  spe 
cial  pension  to  his  widow. 


THE    END. 


Q^-  Any  Books  in  this  list  will  be  sent  free  of  postage,  on  receipt 
of  price. 

BOSTON,  135  WASHINGTON  STREET, 
OCTOBER,  1862. 

A   LIST   OF   BOOKS 

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Sir  Walter  Scott. 

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10       A  LiSl  of  Books  Publifhed 


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by   TlCKNOR    AND    FlELDS.  11 


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13       A  Lift  of  Books  Publifhed 


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by   TlCKNOR    AND    FlELDS.  13 


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14       A  Lift  of  Books  Publifhed 


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by   TlCKNOR    AND    FlELDS.  15 


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16       A  Lift  of  Books  Publifhed. 


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Poetry.     With  26  fine  Steel  Portraits.     $2.50. 

HEROES  OF   EUROPE.    A  capital  Boy's  Book.     With  16 

Illustrations.     1  vol.  16mo.     $1.00. 

BONNIE  SCOTLAND.  By  Grace  Greenwood.  Illustrated. 
75  cents. 

THE  SEVEN  LITTLE  SISTERS,  who  live  in  the  Round  Ball 

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